


Hunter

by Zinoviev



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Gen, Jedi Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala Lives, Plot Twists, Quarantine with the Skywalkers, Secret Identity, Skywalker Family Drama, Suitless Darth Vader
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-22
Updated: 2020-07-20
Packaged: 2021-02-28 23:47:21
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 32
Words: 102,403
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23265679
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zinoviev/pseuds/Zinoviev
Summary: Leia is offered a chance to escape Bespin when Boba Fett enlists her help to prevent Luke from falling into Vader's clutches. She has plenty of questions, however. Who is this mysterious bounty hunter, and what does he want with her friend?
Relationships: Boba Fett & Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa & Ahsoka Tano, Leia Organa & Darth Vader, Leia Organa & Luke Skywalker, Leia Organa/Han Solo, Luke Skywalker & Darth Vader, Padmé Amidala & Leia Organa, Padmé Amidala & Luke Skywalker, Padmé Amidala/Anakin Skywalker
Comments: 188
Kudos: 229





	1. Making a Deal

**Author's Note:**

> The idea for this story came to me a few weeks ago and I just decided to post the first chapter without having written anything else. I've never done this before, although I'm sure it's common practice. For all my other stories, I always had a backlog of chapters before posting. As a result, updates will inevitably be more sporadic and less predictable. Nevertheless, I'm very excited for this story. I have a big twist in store which I hope none of you see coming! (For those of you who are impatient, it takes place in chapter 9)

"We would be honored if you would join us."

Leia felt frozen with fear as she stared back at the hulking figure of the Rebellion's most notorious enemy, Darth Vader. The masked man was standing at the head of a white dinner table in front of an opaque window. He was staring intently back at her and Han, his blank red eyes and flat tone revealing nothing but indifference.

A soft jingling sound caused Leia to glance away from Vader's insipid gaze. Emerging from around a corner was a short man dressed in green and grey Mandalorian armor. He held a blaster up against his breastplate which featured a jagged gash down the diagonal axis.

"I had no choice, they arrived right before you did," came Lando's drawling voice. Swiveling her head to the right, Leia saw that they had been surrounded by stormtroopers, a dozen or so indistinguishable soldiers pointing blasters at them. "I'm sorry," their traitorous host added, his expression grim.

Han looked down at her and reached out to grab her hand. "I'm sorry too," he said to Lando, his notorious temper remarkably subdued considering the circumstances. As Chewbacca growled at Lando, Han shared one last look with her before boldly walking into the room under his own volition. Leia allowed him to drag her forward, gulping audibly with fear when she met Vader's gaze for a second time.

"Take a seat," Vader said with a flourish of his gloved hand, having already sat down himself. Han didn't hesitate, releasing her hand as he pulled out the middle chair and gestured for her to sit. In spite of the tense situation, Leia couldn't help but blush at the gentlemanly act. Who knew Han could be so refined?

"Lord Vader, what is the reason for this delay?" came the modulated voice of the Mandalorian who was still standing by Vader's opposite flank. "I was under the impression Solo would be brought to my ship right away."

"You will have your bounty, Fett, but only after I am through with him," Vader rumbled. "Until then, please be seated. We still have business to attend to."

Fett hesitated for a moment before obliging. Begrudgingly setting his blaster aside against the wall, Fett pulled out a chair with his foot and sat down. Scooting forward, Fett laid his armored forearms on the table and stared directly at Leia. Feeling uncomfortable with the attention the bounty hunter was giving her, Leia fumbled with her collar and turned toward Vader.

"Lord Vader, I must insist that –" she began to say, but the Sith cut her off by raising his hand and pointing a finger at her.

"You are in no position to negotiate, Princess," he told her. "You are a known member of the Rebellion and a traitor to the Empire."

Leia shut her mouth and looked down at her lap. Perhaps it was a relief Vader had interrupted her when he had. She had no idea what she had been going to say, anyway. There was nothing she could do to get them out of this horrible situation. Surely they were doomed now.

"Han Solo," said Vader. Looking back up, Leia saw that Vader had turned his attention to the rugged pilot who was seated next to him on his right. "You are the pilot of the _Millennium Falcon_ , are you not?"

Han furrowed his brow, perplexed by this inquiry. He briefly glanced across the table at Chewbacca who was seated to Leia's right before looking back at Vader and nodding. "I am," he confirmed.

"Was it you who fired on my ship at the Battle of Yavin?" asked Vader.

Han licked his lips nervously before nodding a second time. "Yeah, it was," he said. Reaching for her hand under the table, Han seemed to regain some of his confidence when he gave it a squeeze. "I should have aimed better," he said.

Leia inhaled sharply, fearing for Han's life. Vader didn't seem to have any reaction to the comment, however, revealing no emotion whatsoever as he continued to stare blankly at Han. Unnerved, Han's confidence faltered as he released her hand and began bouncing his leg rapidly.

"You will be quite useful to me, Captain Solo," Vader commented finally. Pushing out his chair, Vader stood up and flicked his wrist. Leia's head spun to the right when the door to the dining room opened. "Take him away," Vader commanded to a trio of stormtroopers who came walking in. "Call in another squad and have the Princess and the Wookiee brought down to the prison."

"Allow me, Lord Vader," Fett said suddenly as he leapt to his feet. "I can handle this."

Vader glanced at the bounty hunter, clearly surprised his eagerness. He considered the shorter man for a few moments before nodding. "Very well," he said. With that, Vader stepped away from the table and marched away, his cape billowing behind him as he exited the room. Once the door closed behind him, the three stormtroopers approached them while Fett did the same from the opposite end of the table.

"Don't even think of running," Fett told them, blaster back in hand as he pointed it at Han's chest. "Vader can kill you even if he was miles away."

Han gave the bounty hunter a doubtful look, but he didn't bother to contradict him. He did, however, offer an objection when the stormtroopers rudely pushed Leia aside as they made their way to him. "Hey!" he exclaimed. "Don't touch her!"

"Shut up," a stormtrooper said as he shoved a blaster in Han's face. "Give us your hands."

"Just do it, Han," Leia pleaded with him when Han looked like he was about to say something else. "There's no point."

Han locked eyes with her before folding. Extending his hands, the stormtrooper on the left produced a set of binders and firmly clasped them to Han's wrists. "Come on," he said, pushing Han forward. "Let's go."

"It'll be okay," Han attempted to reassure her as he walked past. "Don't worry about me." Chewbacca growled something and Han gave his friend one last nod before the doors opened and the stormtroopers shoved him out into the hallway.

"You," Leia heard Fett say to her left. Spinning back toward the bounty hunter, she saw that he was pointing his blaster at Chewbacca. "Bind yourself." Reaching into his back pocket, Fett produced his own set of binders and threw them to the Wookiee who roared at him. "Go on," Fett said, flicking the safety to his blaster on and off. "We haven't got all day."

Once Chewbacca had done as Fett asked and applied the binders to his furry wrists, Fett lowered the blaster and gestured to the door. "Wait outside," he said.

"What?" Leia asked, puzzled by this instruction. "Why?"

"It doesn't matter why," Fett snapped, taking a step toward her. Intimidated, Leia shied away from the man, staring down at the floor to avoid his glare. "Just do it. And believe me, if you try to run, I will track you down and kill you." Chewbacca protested, nodding his head toward Leia as he growled. "Don't worry about the Princess," Fett assured him. "She'll be fine. I just want to discuss something in private."

She and Chewbacca shared a look, each of them concerned about what that might mean. "Go on," she said finally. "It'll be okay." Chewbacca growled something and tilted his head, asking if she was sure, she presumed. "Yeah, I'm sure," she said. "Don't worry." She couldn't explain why, but Leia felt quite certain that she wasn't in any danger from Fett. On the contrary, she was quite intrigued by what it was he wanted to discuss with her. Could he be planning on offering them his assistance? If so, why?

Chewbacca made a big show of hesitating, but finally he gave in and trudged away. Ducking slightly to avoid hitting his head on the frame, the doors closed behind the Wookiee when he made it into the hallway. Turning to Fett, Leia raised her chin in a vain attempt at projecting confidence.

"What is this about?" she asked, suddenly realizing that she didn't know what to call him. Bounty Hunter? Mr. Fett? Neither sounded quite right.

"We don't have much time, so I'll make this quick," Fett said urgently, glancing around the room, presumably for cameras. Not seeing any, Fett nodded to himself and stepped even closer toward Leia so that their faces were merely inches apart. "Vader's after someone," he told her in a whisper.

"What do you mean?" Leia asked. "Who?"

"Someone named Luke Skywalker," said Fett. "Do you know him?" Leia faltered, electing not to answer. Fett could clearly tell based on her expression that she was familiar with him, however. "Vader cannot find Skywalker," he told her. "That absolutely cannot happen."

"Why do you care?" Leia asked, increasingly bewildered by the bounty hunter's behavior. Wasn't he here to collect Han and return him to the Hutts? Why was he asking her about Luke?

"Skywalker belongs to me," Fett growled. Leia's eyes widened, startled by the vehemence in the Mandalorian's tone. "He's mine. Do you understand? Mine!"

Leia wasn't bold enough to remind the bounty hunter that nobody belonged to anyone. She was sure the man wouldn't appreciate it if she tried to bring up the ethical issues that proposition presented. Instead, Leia bobbed her head and attempted to subtly shuffle her feet backward so she wouldn't have to be quite so close to Fett.

"Vader's going to use you and your friends as bait to lure Skywalker in," Fett told her. "When he arrives, you're going to help steer him away from Vader and toward me."

"And why would I do that?" Leia asked, eyebrow quirked skeptically.

"I'll smuggle you out of here, that's why," Fett said impatiently.

"But what about Han and Chewie?"

"Who cares about them? I'm offering you your freedom right now! Do you have any idea how lucky you are?"

Leia scoffed at the bounty hunter's self-importance. "I'm not leaving without them," she said resolutely.

"Vader will keep you prisoner for the rest of your life if you don't escape," Fett growled, prodding her in the shoulder with a finger.

Leia gasped, aggrieved and startled that he would be so bold as to touch her like that. "How dare you –" she began to say, but Fett didn't let her finish.

"I spent four years of my life behind bars!" he said in an angry whisper, slashing his hand through the air for emphasis. "You don't know what it's like! You don't know anything!"

Leia's mouth hung open slightly as she stared back at Fett, thoroughly caught off guard by this outburst. He seemed to be unhinged, yet nevertheless she didn't feel endangered by him. Once again, she found herself wondering why this ruthless bounty hunter was so invested with her friend Luke. She knew there was a bounty on Luke's head, but she thought Vader was the one who had put it there. It made no sense for Fett to be trying to keep Luke away from Vader. Was it possible someone had hired Fett to do this? If so, whom?

"I need to know that you will do this," Fett said, recomposing himself. "If you won't do it for yourself, do it for Skywalker. You can't imagine the things Vader will do to him if he gets his hands on him."

"What do you mean? What sort of things?"

"Like I said, you can't even imagine," Fett said ominously. "You don't know Vader like I do. He's as ruthless as he is evil. He will stop at nothing to get what he wants."

Leia frowned, her own experience with the man not corroborating that claim whatsoever. When Vader had captured her ship three years prior and taken her to the Death Star for interrogation, his resolve had been far from ruthless. To Leia, it seemed as if he hadn't been determined whatsoever to extract the information about the location of the Rebel Base out of her. He hadn't so much as laid a finger on her, depositing her in her cell and asking a few halfhearted questions which she refused to dignify with responses. His enigmatic behavior continued to astound when he had lied to Tarkin, telling the Moff that she had withstood considerable amounts of torture without cracking. Frankly, it seemed to her as if Vader simply didn't care much about the war and wasn't willing to debase himself to find out where the Rebel Base was.

"Why does he want Luke?" Leia asked, brow furrowed and arms crossed.

Fett sighed and craned his head back in exasperation. "I'll tell you later, alright? Do we have a deal or not?" He extended his hand to her, the frayed padding of his glove covered in oil stains.

Leia hesitated, but only for a brief moment. She knew Han would want her to escape even if he could not. While she didn't want to leave him and Chewie behind, she knew this was her only option considering the circumstances.

"Fine," she said, wrinkling her nose as she shook her coconspirator's grimy hand. "It's a deal."


	2. Unmasking a Monster

Leia dazedly marched onward as four stormtroopers and an Imperial officer herded her and Chewbacca down the white halls of Cloud City toward Vader's shuttle. The Sith Lord had reneged on his promise that she and Chewbacca be allowed to stay on Bespin in perpetuity after he left and had instead demanded that Lando take them to his ship. Leia couldn't summon up much anger at Vader's duplicity, however; she was too shell-shocked to register any emotion but astonishment. The horrible incident kept replaying in her mind, Han's resolute expression burned in her retinas.

" _I love you,_ " she had told him as he was being lowered into the freezing chamber. She wasn't sure what had compelled her to say such a thing. Was it true? She wasn't sure.

" _I know,_ " he had said before being enveloped by a frigid cloud of gas. Just like that, Han Solo was gone, trapped in carbonite. She had wanted to scream, at Vader, at Fett, at anyone. She had restrained herself, however, forcing herself to be logical. Being uncooperative wouldn't do her any favors, she reasoned. Besides, she had to keep faith that Fett was going to make a move once he got away from Vader's prying eyes. Surely Fett wouldn't allow Vader to take her away to the Emperor. He still needed her, didn't he?

Leia suddenly looked up when she heard a squeak accompanied by the distinctive sound of blaster fire somewhere in the distance. Lando, who was at the head of the procession leading the Imperials through the labyrinthine halls of Cloud City, looked up as well, his brow furrowed with concern. They continued on, the stormtroopers raising their blasters and quickening their pace. Leia staggered a bit, her head on a swivel as she sought out the source of the noise. Was it Fett? Was he coming to rescue her?

A shadow along the corridor to her caught Leia's eye. Before she knew what was happening, the grey-uniformed Imperial officer grabbed her by the shoulders as a blaster bolt went whizzing by her head. Indignant at being treated in this way, Leia struggled against the officer's grip as she was dragged away toward an opening doorway up ahead. Squinting, Leia saw a familiar face pop out from around the corner.

"Luke!" she cried out shrilly as Chewbacca let out a roar from behind her. A stormtrooper opened fire down the hallway, and Luke's head dipped out of view as he avoided the bolt. "Luke don't, it's a trap!" she told him, the Imperial officer digging his fingernails into her shoulders as he attempted to pull her through the doorway. "No!" she yelled, momentarily escaping from the officer's grasp. "It's a trap!"

With that, Leia was yanked away roughly by the arm, pain flaring up in her shoulder as the officer pushed her away from the doorway which speedily sealed itself shut. Pulling his pistol, the man pressed it into her back and compelled her to continue marching. Leia knew better than to protest any further. Rotating her shoulder gingerly, she pursed her lips and continued on, all the while wondering whether Luke had received her message. Her warning had been particularly cogent, she could concede as much. But surely Luke wouldn't be stupid enough to continue on with whatever half-baked plan he had concocted. Would he turn around and leave? Had she just saved him from Vader?

She had little reason to be optimistic, however. Luke wasn't the sort to turn away in the face of danger. If anything, she had only heightened his resolve by telling him to run. He and Han were alike in that way; they were easily intoxicated by the prospect of heroism and rarely dissuaded by even the most blatant signs of trouble. Why did men have to be so foolhardy? The stubborn idiot! Luke was going to get himself killed, or worse.

Leia was startled out of her thoughts when she nearly walked into the stormtrooper in front of her. Bewildered, she looked up to see why everyone had stopped moving. They were entirely surrounded by velvet-uniformed guards who had seemingly materialized out of thin air. The stormtroopers all glanced at their commanding officer before collectively deciding to lower their blasters.

Lando pushed the startled Imperial officer aside and wrenching the blasters out of two of the stormtrooper's hands. "Well done," he said, passing off the blasters to his cyborg aid before taking the remaining two stormtrooper's weapons. "Hold them in the security tower," he instructed the cyborg. "And keep it quiet," he added in a whisper. "Move." The cyborg nodded and gestured for his men to follow him. The Imperials didn't offer a fight as they were whisked away and down the hallway. Lando watched until they were out of sight before thrusting the two blasters he was holding into her hands. They were quite heavy, and Leia's knees buckled a bit before she managed to wrangle them.

"What do you think you're doing?" she asked incredulously as Lando turned to free Chewbacca from his binders.

"Getting out of here," he murmured.

"Do you think after what you did to Han we're going to trust you?" she asked. Freed from his restraints, Chewbacca let out a bellowing roar as he grabbed Lando by the throat with both hands.

"I had no choice!" Lando wheezed, eyes wide as he struggled against Chewbacca's grip.

"What are you doing?" Leia heard the dismembered yet nevertheless still annoyingly garrulous C-3P0 say from the netting fastened to the Wookiee's back. "Trust him! Trust him!"

Leia ignored the anxious droid, snarling at Lando whose face was rapidly turning purple. "Oh we understand just fine, don't we Chewie," she said snidely. "You had no choice."

"I'm just trying to help!" Lando managed to say as he fell to his knees.

Leia was about to offer another trenchant comment when the sound of a blaster pierced the air. Lando collapsed to the ground when Chewbacca released him with a roar of pain. "Chewie!" she exclaimed, seeing that the Wookiee had been shot in the shoulder. She covered her ears with her hands when another bolt went flying by over Chewbacca's head. Spinning around, she leapt into action when she saw who it was firing at them.

"No, stop!" she yelled, dropping one of her blasters and pointing the other one at Fett who was aiming at them from the bend in the hall. "Don't hurt him!"

Fett hesitated before lowering his weapon. Glancing behind him to see if anyone was around, he rushed forward. Leia kept her blaster pointed at him, not trusting the bounty hunter enough to lower the weapon. "You're coming with me," he said, returning his blaster to his holster. "Come on, let's go."

"What? Why?" she asked, sparing a glance toward Chewbacca who was leaning against the wall, right paw held up against the wound in his shoulder. "What's going on?"

"Skywalker is here," Fett said, impatiently beckoning her to follow him. "We've got to move."

"I saw him," Leia told the bounty hunter. "Just five minutes ago!"

"Where?" he asked urgently.

"I'll show you, but not until Chewie's safe."

"We don't have time for that!" Fett roared.

"Don't worry, Princess," she heard Lando say. Spinning around, Leia saw the shaken yet otherwise uninjured man struggling to his feet. "I'll get him out of here. You go save your friend."

Leia frowned at Lando's complete reversal in position. "Why are you doing this?" she asked, bitterness giving way to begrudging gratitude.

"It's the least I can do," Lando said as he helped Chewbacca up off the wall. "Come on, Chewbacca," he said through gritted teeth as the massive Wookiee leaned against him. "Let's get you out of here." Chewbacca growled a half-hearted objection but nevertheless accepted Lando's help.

"Can we go now?" Fett asked as Leia watched the pair plus Threepio retreat down the hallway. Leia nodded, tearing her eyes away from the odd sight and back toward the bounty hunter.

"Alright, let's go," she said, nodding. Kicking aside her discarded blaster, Leia took off running in the opposite direction as Lando and Chewie. Fett followed after her, his armor rattling loudly as they hurried down the hallway. Coming to a stop, Leia cursed under her breath when she was unable to open the door which the Imperial officer had pulled her through a few minutes ago. "It's locked!" she exclaimed, mashing her fist to the control panel to no effect.

"Get out of the way," Fett grumbled.

Leia complied, frowning when she saw the bounty hunter pull out his blaster. "No, they'll hear!" she objected, but Fett ignored her. Blasting the control panel, the door slid open. "What are you doing?" she asked.

"There's no time for stealth," Fett told her in a low voice. "Come on."

Leia grit her teeth, growing increasingly disenchanted with her companion. He was going to get them both caught, and when that happened, Vader wouldn't hesitate to have her executed. Leia was walking a narrow rope right now.

"There," she said, pointing down the hallway where she had seen Luke earlier. "He was there."

Fett took a couple of steps toward the hallway and raised a finger toward a blast mark on the wall. "Was he hurt?" he asked.

"I don't think so," Leia said, having not considered this question before. "I think they missed him."

Fett chortled humorlessly. "Typical," he said as he turned back toward her. "He didn't follow you, did he?" he asked.

"I don't think so, they shut the door behind us," Leia said, gesturing toward the door. "I don't know where he went."

"I have an idea," Fett said grimly before taking off down the main hall. Leia followed after the bounty hunter without asking him to elaborate. She had a strong suspicion of where Luke had gone, anyway: to the carbon freezing chamber.

To Vader.

"What are you going to do?" Leia asked Fett as they rounded a corner, the air suddenly turning chilly as they approached the chamber. "Vader's waiting for him there! What if he captured Luke already?"

"I'll figure something out," Fett said vaguely.

Leia gulped nervously, Fett's assurance doing little to attenuate her fears. If Vader had gotten his hands on Luke, she knew there was nothing Fett could do to rescue him. They could only hope that they would intercept Luke before Vader did.

They would have no such luck, however. Entering the chamber, Fett stopped abruptly and raised his blaster. Holding a finger up to silence her, Fett pressed his back against the wall. "Listen," he whispered.

Leia tried to do as Fett said, yet she struggled to hear over the sound of her own shivering. Pushing himself away from the wall, Fett inched forward toward the railing. They were standing atop an elevated bridge overlooking the circular platform where Han had been frozen earlier. Great clouds of vapor billowed upward, giving the chamber a distinctly eerie and mysterious ambiance.

A clanging sound caused Fett to halt and Leia to startle. Blaster held in both hands, Fett got down on one knee and pointed the weapon into the darkness. Squinting, Leia was able to make out a shadowy figure in the center of the platform. Taking a hesitant step forward, Leia recognized the silhouette at once.

"It's Luke!" she told Fett in a hushed whisper. "That's him!"

Leia was about to call out to Luke when the entire chamber was suddenly flooded with light. Panicking, Leia scampered away from the railing and back into the shadows. Fett remained where he was, however, his head swiveling toward the sound of a familiarly sonorous voice.

"The Force is with you, young Skywalker," Vader said, standing atop the opposite stairwell from Fett and herself. His features now visible to her, Leia saw Luke lower his blaster as he turned toward Vader's voice. "But you are not a Jedi yet," the Sith taunted.

"Fett! Fett!" Leia hissed. "We have to go!"

Fett waved her off, shuffling to the left so that he could redirect his blaster toward Vader. Leia held her breath as Luke walked up the stairs toward Vader. The two looked at each other silently for a moment before Luke produced his lightsaber and activated it. All was still as the blue blade hummed softly, Vader making no move to defend himself. Finally, he spoke.

"That belongs to me," he said.

Luke seemed to tense at this comment. "No it doesn't," he said, his voice difficult for Leia to hear since he was facing away from her. "It belongs to my father."

"Fett, we've got to go," Leia pleaded with the unresponsive bounty hunter. "He's going to see us!" Vader's gaze never deviated from Luke, however, his blood red eyes staring intently back at the defiant young man. "Fett!" she begged once again.

"I've got one shot," Fett whispered.

"Are you crazy?" Everyone knew that Vader couldn't be shot with a blaster. He seemed to be entirely impervious to such threats. Leia was about to tell Fett this when a motion caught her eye. Looking back up, Leia saw Vader reaching up to his helmet with both arms. She and Fett both froze, utterly transfixed as Vader's helmet came off with a deafening hiss.

Luke lowered his lightsaber and took a half-step back as Vader dropped his helmet to the ground. Overwhelmed with curiosity, Leia forgot her fear of being seen and took a step forward to kneel down next to Fett. While his face was difficult to make out on account to the darkness, Leia could still see that he didn't look anything like she had expected. The man underneath the mask had a chiseled face and long, dirty blonde locks. Grizzly stubble and fearsome demeanor notwithstanding, Leia couldn't deny that Vader was a ruggedly handsome man. Was this really what a monster looked like? She knew appearances were superficial, yet even so, she couldn't reconcile the face with the name.

"Luke," Vader said, his voice no longer deepened by his mask. "I am your father."

Astounded, Leia's mouth fell open. Vader was Luke's father? That was absurd! Yet staring at the man's countenance, Leia couldn't help but notice the similarities in the two men's features. Leia wasn't able to contemplate this stunning revelation any further, however, when she felt Fett repositioning himself next to her.

"I have you now," he mumbled to himself, finger positioned over the trigger.

"Wait, no –" Leia found herself saying, yet Fett paid her no heed as he opened fire, aiming directly for Vader's exposed face.


	3. Forced to Follow

"Luke. I am your father."

Luke's mouth hung ajar as he stared back at Vader's bizarrely human face. For whatever reason, he had never imagined Vader having a face. In retrospect he knew that was ridiculous, but even so he still couldn't quite believe it. This man was Darth Vader… this man was his father? That couldn't possibly be true! Vader had murdered his father! Obi-Wan had told him as much. Yet Luke couldn't deny how alike he and the man behind Vader's masked looked. It was like he was staring at a reflection of himself in twenty years. How uncanny.

Neither said anything as they each waited for the other to speak. Luke was unable, however. His mouth felt dry and his tongue twisted. Besides, what could he possibly say? Deny it? Call Vader a liar? Luke knew that wasn't true, however, no matter how desperately he wanted it to be. Summoning up the resolve to open his mouth, Luke struggled for a few seconds before producing a hoarse sound.

"You –"

Luke shut up abruptly when he felt a tingling sensation on the back of his neck. Eyes widening, Luke acted on pure instinct and spun around with his lightsaber raised. A red blaster bolt pierced the air, the accompanying sound shockingly loud in the formerly silent chamber. Slashing his blade to the left, Luke deflected the bolt which would have struck his father directly in the face.

His father? Had he really just thought of him as that? Lowering his weapon, Luke suddenly faltered when he realized what he had just done. He had saved Darth Vader's life! Why had he done that? _How_ could he have done that?

His moment of astonishment – or perhaps horror – was cut short when Vader drew his own lightsaber and pushed Luke aside and stepped in front of him. Luke staggered toward the railing, seeing Vader raise his red blade out of the corner of his eye. "Fett?" he heard Vader say, sounding thoroughly bewildered.

Luke looked up just in time to see two shadowy figures along the opposite bridge running away toward the exit. Vader hesitated, his brow twitching as he contemplated going after the assailants. He evidently though better of it however, as he remained where he stood as the door sealed itself shut. Lowering his lightsaber, Vader extinguished the blade and returned it to his belt. Turning around, he met Luke's startled expression.

"You are coming with me," he said matter-of-factly.

Roused back to reality, Luke raised his blue blade defensively and took a step away from Vader. "Never," he snarled.

"Do you not believe me?" Vader asked innocently.

Luke faltered, his lightsaber wavering in front of his nose. "It's not…" he began to say before trailing off, his expression hardening. "You killed Ben!" he finally settled on saying.

"Ben?" Vader asked, eyebrow quirked. "Oh," he realized. "Kenobi."

"You killed him!" Luke said again, tensing when Vader took a step toward him. He seemed entirely undeterred by the lightsaber pointed at his face.

"I did," Vader confirmed in a low voice, the blade reflected in his piercing blue eyes. "I regret that now."

"You do?" Luke asked.

"Death was too merciful," Vader growled. Luke gulped, intimidated despite being the only one with his weapon raised. "He deserved to suffer like I have suffered." A tense moment passed, Vader's glinting eyes boring into Luke's own with terrifying intensity. "Lower your weapon," Vader finally commanded.

"Make me," Luke shot back.

Vader growled at Luke's defiance. "What are you going to do?" he asked, leaning his face closer so that no more than an inch of space separated his chin from the tip of Luke's quivering blade. "Kill me?"

"I'd certainly like to."

Vader smirked, a flash of amusement passing his severe face. "No," he said. "You can't." Luke held his breath, his taut muscles itching to spring forward. And that's all it would take. One little push of his saber, and Vader would be dead. "You can't," Vader said again, taunting without a hint of doubt.

Luke wanted to prove him wrong, but he found that he could not. He wasn't able to do it. Not his own father. Killing Vader would be an irredeemable act, no matter how horrible he may be. And so he folded, bowing his head in shame as he deactivated his lightsaber. A beat passed as Luke felt Vader's eyes on him. Suddenly, Luke felt a gloved hand grasp his chin and compel him to look up. Frozen with fear, Luke craned his head to the much taller Vader.

"You belong with me, Luke," he told him. "Together, you and I will make things right."

Luke considered asking what that meant exactly, but he couldn't seem to move his lips. Instead he continued staring back at Vader, utterly enraptured by the face which looked so much like his own. Had Ben known about this? Yoda? Had they hid the truth from him for fear that something like this could someday happen? Luke found himself growing angry at the thought. He had a right to know! Instead, they had lied to him, telling him that his father was dead, killed by Vader.

Vader released Luke's chin and smiled at him thinly. He looked strained. It was as if he hadn't smiled in years. He probably hadn't, Luke realized with a start.

Luke was finally released from his quasi-hypnotic state which Vader's gaze caused when he looked away. Leaning down, he picked up his discarded helmet and stuffed it back on over his head. Pressing a button on his chest, Vader turned away from Luke.

"This is Vader, come in," he said, his voice deep once more. The request was met with static for a few moments before a voice responded.

" _Yes, my lord?_ " it said.

"Where is Fett's ship?" Vader asked, glancing back at Luke who was blinking rapidly as he watched. He didn't know what he was doing. Shouldn't he be trying to escape?

" _It's on the landing pad preparing for takeoff._ "

"Is Fett there?"

" _No, my lord. He hasn't arrived yet._ "

"Don't let him leave," Vader demanded. "Detain him if you are able. I'm on my way now."

" _Very well, my lord._ "

Vader severed the communication with the press of a button and turned back toward Luke. "Come with me, son," he said. Luke flinched, and Vader seemed to hesitate at this reaction. Deciding against addressing it, he spun on his heel and marched away purposefully toward the stairs.

Luke exhaled shakily, having only then realized that he had been holding his breath. Wracked with indecision, Luke watched Vader retreat a few more lengths before following after him. His feet acted on their own accord, exercising their own free will on account of his brain's failure to give proper instruction.

Perhaps it was only natural; the son followed after his father.

* * *

Leia's breath was ragged as she struggled to keep up with Fett's long strides. After having taken his one shot at Vader, the bounty hunter hadn't wasted any time in fleeing the chamber, grabbing her roughly by the arm and dragging her along with him. They had only just made it to the door to the landing pad when Fett stopped running.

"What… what are you waiting for?" Leia panted, bending over with her hands on her knees as she gasped for air.

"We're going to have to blast our way out," Fett said, peering out the small circular window in the door.

"What? Why?"

"Stormtroopers. A dozen, maybe more."

"But I thought you were working with the Empire!"

"I was, until I tried to kill Darth Vader a few minutes ago."

"Oh, right." Leia frowned as she considered their predicament. "You know, that probably wasn't a great idea in retrospect." 

"Would you shut up?" Fett hissed. "I'm trying to think."

"What did he do to make you hate him so much anyway?" Leia asked.

"I have my reasons," Fett mumbled vaguely. "Now shut up. I mean it."

Leia resisted the urge to stick out her tongue at the brusque bounty hunter. She wasn't used to being treated like this, but perhaps her time with Han over the past week had desensitized her somewhat. Or perhaps she was just too concerned with making it out of Cloud City alive to bother being indignant about Fett's impertinence.

Back pressed against the wall, Fett raised his left forearm to his mouth. "Rex, are you there?" he asked, presumably into a comlink. "Rex?"

"Who's Rex?" she asked.

"Shut up!"

" _I'm here,_ " a muted voice responded. " _It's looking rough out here. They've got the_ Slave _surrounded._ "

"The Slave?" Leia asked with a frown.

"Do you ever stop talking?" Fett asked, exasperated.

" _What was that?_ "

"Nothing," Fett said quickly. "Actually something," he amended with a side glance at her. "I've got a civvy with me."

" _A civvy? What are you doing with a civvy? You were supposed to be in and out!_ "

"Yeah, I know!" Fett growled. "Things changed!"

" _You've completely lost your mind, haven't you? This whole scheme of yours was utter lunacy from the start! And what was it all for? To quell your curiosity? Because if you wanted to do that, you could have just –_ "

Fett lowered his arm, severing the connection. "Looks like we're on our own," he said. Reaching down to a cargo pocket on his calf, Fett fished around and produced a thermal detonator. "We're going in hot. Ready?"

"Wait –"

"Now!"

Fett smashed the control panel with his elbow, opening the door to the landing pad. Sprinting forward, Fett activated the thermal detonator and threw it with all his might.

Leia rolled her eyes at the bounty hunter's antics. "Men," she muttered under her breath before following him with her blaster at the ready. Squinting in the bright morning light, Leia was about to open fire when she stopped, stunned by the display in front of her. Having dispersed the stormtroopers with the detonator blast, Fett dodged and weaved his way down the platform toward his oddly-shaped ship. He used every weapon in his arsenal – blaster, vibroblade, grappler, and at one point he even used a flamethrower. The dozen or so stormtroopers didn't stand a chance.

"Was that strictly necessary?" came a gruff voice once the final stormtrooper had been defeated, blasted in the chest.

Leia tore her eyes away from the victorious Fett to see a bald man with a snowy white beard standing atop the unfurled ramp to the ship.

"Thanks for nothing, Rex," Fett said. Turning around, he beckoned her to follow him. "Let's go, Princess." 

"Princess?" Rex asked as Leia jogged over toward them.

"This is Captain Rex," Fett told her when she came to a stop next to him at the foot of the ramp. "Rex this is Princess…" Fett trailed off, evidently realizing that he didn't know her name.

"Leia," she told him. Fett said nothing, his expression inscrutable on account of the mask. Perplexed by his behavior, Leia glanced over at Rex. "You're a clone, aren't you?" she asked.

Rex narrowed his eyes as he placed his hands on his hips. "You got a problem with that?" 

"No, of course not," Leia said hastily.

Rex and Fett each looked at her for a moment longer before the latter cleared his throat. "Let's get going," he said. "Vader could be here any minute."

"Vader?" Rex asked, eyes wide. "So did you –"

"We'll talk about this later, Rex," Fett said as he began walking up the ramp. "Right now, I need you to get us out of here."

"What about the cargo?" Rex asked, stepping into the hull of the ship.

"What about it?"

"It isn't fastened."

"I'll handle it," Fett said. He turned around to see that she had followed him up the ramp. Once again, he seemed frozen as he stared intently at her. Leia was about to ask him what he was looking at when he shook his head and turned away. Leia watched him out of the corner of her eye as she walked past. With the pull of a lever, the ramp began to retract, and Fett marched away down the hallway. "You stay in the main hold," he instructed, stopping at a circular doorway leading to a dingy cabin. "I'll be right back."

"But –" Leia tried to say, but Fett was too quick for her, hurrying away in the same direction as Rex. Frowning, she took a step into the cabin, yet stumbled when the ship lurched forward and her shins smashed into a stacked pile of wooden crates. Leia cursed under her breath as she staggered away. She'd certainly have a bruise from that. Shaking her head, she placed her hands over her face and rubbed her eyes wearily. The past twenty-four hours had been whirlwind, each crazy development more incomprehensible than the last. And it had all culminated in this: her being aboard Fett's ship after they escaped Bespin by the skin of their teeth.

Could Leia really trust this bounty hunter? His behavior thus far had been erratic and he certainly hadn't gone out of his way to be kind to her. Leia took a deep breath as she sat down on the pile of crates, wrinkling her nose in displeasure at the musky smell of the cabin. Dragging her fingers down her face, she craned her head toward the ceiling and exhaled deliberately. She closed her eyes, seeking calm yet unable to find it. How could she? She may have escaped, but her future was still far from certain. For better or for worse, her and Fett's fates were now interconnected. She could only hope that the bounty hunter saw it that way as well.


	4. Mangled

Unsure what to do with herself, Leia interlocked her fingers over the back of her neck as she paced back and forth in the main hold of Fett's ship. The room was sparsely furnished, the dozen or so wooden crates the only thing she could sit on in lieu of actual chairs. Loose-hanging netting was attached to the ceiling, supposedly for storage space, yet nothing was actually stored up there at the moment. The only feature of the cabin which wasn't dilapidated and covered in dust was a shiny metal cabinet pushed up against the back wall. Bored, Leia approached the cabinet and ran her finger down its surface.

"I wouldn't open that if I were you."

Startled, Leia spun around to see Fett entering the main hold followed closely by Rex.

"Why not?" she asked.

"That's the weapon's locker," Rex said as he wearily sat down on a pile of crates and rubbed his bald head.

"Not befitting of a princess," Fett added and Rex snorted in laughter.

Leia crossed her arms in front of her chest in indignation. "You think I can't handle a weapon?" she asked haughtily.

"Can you?" Rex asked.

"I'm a Rebel! Of course I can."

Rex held up his hands in surrender. "Sorry, Your Highness," he said with a chuckle. Leia couldn't tell whether he was being facetious or not.

"Where are you taking me?" Leia asked, deciding to steer the conversation away from this subject.

"Tatooine," Fett said as he leaned against the wall next to Rex and crossed his legs. "We've got to collect our bounty."

"Wait a minute, you don't mean Han, do you?" Leia asked, eyes widening as she remembered why Fett was on Cloud City in the first place. "You can't do that!"

"Oh no?" Fett asked, blasé as he rested his hands behind his head.

"He's my… friend," Leia said.

"It sounded like he was more than that," Fett commented.

"I… I don't know," Leia stammered. "It doesn't matter! You can't give him to the Hutts!"

"I've been hired to do so," Fett said, no longer looking at her as he stared straight ahead.

"But I thought Luke was what you really cared about," Leia pointed out.

"Luke?" Rex asked, perking up. "Who's Luke?"

"I'll tell you later," Fett mumbled.

Rex turned to her, his head tilted curiously. "Who are you talking about?" he asked.

"Don't –" Fett began to interject, but Leia answered anyway.

"Luke Skywalker," she said. "He's my friend."

Rex's face paled. "Say that again?" he asked, voice a bit hoarse.

"He's my friend," Leia repeated, perplexed.

"No, his name," Rex said, shaking his head.

"You heard her right, Rex," Fett said.

Rex spun his head toward his taciturn partner. "Skywalker?" he said incredulously. "You mean to say –"

"Yes, Rex," Fett interrupted. "And I'd rather not discuss this in front of company," he added, gesturing to her.

"But –"

"Rex. Enough."

Rex stared back at Fett with his mouth hanging open. Leia watched the pair closely, intrigued and befuddled by their reaction. What was so significant about Luke's last name? Could this have to do with Vader somehow?

"You know what this means, don't you?" Rex finally asked.

"Of course I do," Fett said tartly. "And I will discuss it with you later. Why don't you go wait in the cockpit?"

Rex blinked a few times before nodding. "Fine," he said, getting to his feet. "But you owe me an explanation."

"And I will give you one," Fett said coolly.

Rex stared at Fett for a few moments longer before lowering his head and walking away. Once he was gone, Fett pushed himself off the wall and began pacing the width of the cabin.

"Don't do this, Fett," Leia pleaded, choosing to disregard Rex's fascinating reaction to Luke's name for the time being. "Han's a good man, he doesn't deserve this!"

"I don't care what anyone _deserves_ ," Fett said, glancing at her.

"I'll pay you! Double what the Hutts are offering!"

"It's not about the money," Fett told her as he spun on his heal and began another lap.

"It's not?" Leia asked, confused.

"I have a reputation to uphold, Princess," Fett explained. "I told Jabba that I would bring Solo to them alive, and that's exactly what I plan on doing."

"But –"

"No buts!" Fett said, stopping abruptly and pointing a finger at her. "You should be grateful. I saved your life."

Bubbling over with indignation, Leia clenched her jaw and bit down hard on her tongue. Exhaling slowly out her mouth, she forced herself to calm down. "I merely wanted to make another suggestion," she said cautiously.

"I already told you, I don't want your credits," Fett snapped.

"No credits," Leia said, raising her hands. "A counteroffer, that's all."

"Counteroffer?" Fett repeated.

"Yes," Leia affirmed. "I take it you don't care what happens to Han after you turn him over to the Hutts, do you?"

"Of course not," Fett scoffed.

"Then why don't you let me try to bargain for his freedom after you collect your bounty?"

Fett was silent for a moment as he considered this proposition. "There's no bargaining with the Hutts, Princess," he told her with a hint of derision. "Jabba's been calling for Solo's head for three whole years. There's no sum of credits you can offer them to change his mind."

"I have to try," Leia said. "Han… I can't abandon him. He needs my help."

"Are you not listening to me? Jabba would kill you, or worse."

"I have to do it," Leia said resolutely.

"No!" Fett barked, fists clenched.

Leia frowned at his insistence. "Why do you care so much?" she asked. "This affects me, not you."

Fett uncurled his fingers as he shook his head. "You and I still have work to do," he said. "Skywalker is mine, remember? We need to rescue him from Vader."

"You can't be serious!" Leia exclaimed. "That's impossible!"

"So you're willing to risk it all for Solo but not for Skywalker?" Fett asked. "Why is that? Do you care about him more?"

Flustered, Leia felt her face redden at this question. "I… no, I don't. Of course not, but –"

"You owe me, Princess," Fett interrupted. "I held up my end of the bargain. Until Skywalker is free, your wellbeing is still my concern."

"So what, am I your prisoner now?" Leia called after the bounty hunter who had made to leave the cabin after this comment.

"You're my partner," Fett said, turning around in the doorway. "Deal with it." With that, Fett stormed away down the hallway and out of sight, leaving a deeply frustrated Leia in his wake.

* * *

"Are you sure, my lord? That doesn't seem like something Fett would do. He's a bounty hunter, not an assassin."

"Do not question me, Admiral Piett," Vader said.

Luke glanced up to see the admiral blanching with fear at Vader's remark. He and Piett were on Vader's flanks, a few feet behind as they struggled to keep up with his long strides. Having been unable to apprehend Fett, Vader had dragged a dazed Luke to his shuttle and departed Bespin with haste. Now they were aboard Vader's flagship, the _Executor_. Eyes followed him as they made their way off the bridge and down the sleek black hallways into the ship's hull. No doubt, everyone recognized him as Luke Skywalker, the destroyer of the Death Star and most wanted man in the galaxy.

"Forgive me, my lord," Piett said in a squeaky voice.

Vader took a turn down a corridor, his cape sweeping the floor behind him as he carried on. "Dispatch a company to Tatooine," Vader ordered. "Fett will be there attempting to collect his reward. Find him."

"Yes, my lord," Piett said quickly. "Right away, my lord."

"Leave us," Vader said with a wave of his hand.

Piett hesitated. "Forgive me, my lord, but it would be imprudent of me not to ask," he said, side eying Luke.

Vader sighed as he came to a stop at an elevator at the end of the corridor. Turning around, he glared down at Piett. "Skywalker does not concern you, Admiral," he said. "He is my responsibility."

Piett gulped and nodded his head vigorously. "Of course, my lord," he said.

Vader took a step toward Piett and pointed a finger at his chest. "Nobody is to know about this. I will inform the Emperor myself," he said. "If I learn that you told anyone about this, you will end up like your predecessor. Is that clear?"

"Absolutely, my lord," Piett said, looking as if he was about to faint. "Not a word to anyone."

"Good," Vader said. "Now go."

Piett didn't need any further encouragement as he spun around and walked away as speedily as he was able. Luke suppressed a smirk at the sight. He wasn't sure whether he was horrified or amused by what had just happened.

"Come," Vader ordered, characteristically laconic. The elevator door opened and Luke followed Vader inside. The ride up to the top floor of the ship was particularly awkward as neither father nor son felt bold enough to say something, much less look at each other. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Vader wringing his hands. It was oddly endearing.

Finally, the elevator slowed and the door slid open. Vader stepped off first and walked away without waiting for Luke to fall into stride. "These are my private quarters," Vader informed him as they passed half a dozen empty rooms. Luke paused to glance in one. A spectacular window dominated the opposite wall, granting one a panoramic view of space.

"Wow," he whispered to himself. He took a step inside, eyes wide as they scanned the length of the massive window.

"Do you like it?"

Luke spun around to see Vader watching him from the doorway. He was about to tell him that he did when he stopped himself. What was going on right now? Darth Vader was giving him a tour of his quarters and Luke hadn't stopped to think how odd that was.

"You are uncomfortable," Vader noted. Luke blinked a few times and remained silent. Vader contemplated him for a few moments before reaching up to remove his helmet. "Is that better?" he asked, face now visible.

"What do you want with me?" Luke was finally able to ask, his voice hoarse since he hadn't spoken in what felt like hours.

Vader frowned. "What do you mean?" 

"You're going to take me to the Emperor, aren't you?" Luke asked, oddly apathetic to the prospect.

Vader shook his head. "I have no intention of doing that."

"You don't?"

"Absolutely not," Vader said.

"Then… what?"

Luke stiffened when Vader took a step toward him. He faltered at this reaction, the outstretched hand lowering back to his side. "I don't need anything of you," he said. "You are my son. That is enough for me."

"I'm not your son," Luke said at once, Vader flinching at the trenchant retort. "My father's name was Skywalker, not Vader."

Vader's eyes turned stormy and Luke feared that he had gone too far. He regained his cool, however, exhaling slowly as he looked away. "Kenobi lied to you," he said, voice even for the time being. "He wanted you to hate me."

"Why shouldn't I?"

He wasn't being critical. Luke's question was entirely genuine. He didn't want to hate his father, especially not after having idolized the man for his entire childhood. He wanted Vader to convince him, to turn him.

After a few moments of contemplation, Vader nodded. "I will show you," he said, turning around and beckoning Luke to follow. Luke obliged, exiting the room and back into the featureless black hallway. He and Vader walked side by side this time as they made their way toward the octagonal door at the end of the corridor.

"What's in there?" Luke asked. He was beginning to feel more comfortable with speaking to Vader. The lack of a mask certainly helped in that regard.

"You will see," Vader said, a ghost of a smile creeping at the corner of his lips. Coming to a stop in front of the door, Vader leaned down the control panel and entered a series of digits. Once he was done with that, he stood back upright and looked into an optical sensor. Luke watched curiously, perplexed as to why Vader insisted on having so much security when nobody would dare visit his quarters regardless.

The door opened as eight curved panels retracted from the center. Vader extended his hand, allowing Luke to walk in first. He did so, head craning upward and mouth falling open in awe as he crossed the barrier into a massive, domed chamber. "What is this room?" Luke asked, voice echoing loudly.

"My stasis chamber," Vader told him, the door sealing shut behind him with a clang which reverberated about the room.

"Stasis chamber?" Luke repeated, glancing back at Vader who was watching him with his hands behind his back. "What's that?"

Vader didn't answer right away as he bowed his head and walked past Luke toward a gradual flight of stairs. Following after him, Luke looked up to see a complicated-looking apparatus descending from the apex of the ceiling toward an elevated platform in the center of the chamber at the top of the stairs. A flat metal panel was fixed with four mechanical arms with claws. Reaching the apparatus, Vader turned around and placed his back firmly against the panel.

"I meditate and heal myself in this room," Vader explained, tilting his head back into an indentation in the panel as he fastened a strap around his torso.

"Heal yourself?" Luke asked. "What do you mean?"

Vader didn't respond. Instead, he snapped his fingers, the four arms springing to life at the command. Luke watched in awe as the mechanical arms targeted each one of Vader's limbs. There was a high pitched squealing sound as the arms unscrewed the bolts which fastened Vader's suit together. Once they had finished, the arms pulled away and Luke gasped in shock.

"Pathetic, isn't it?" Vader said.

"Your limbs –"

"Prosthetic, all of them," Vader told him, glancing down at his limbless body. His legs terminated above where the knee would have been. His arms were slightly different, one cut short at the elbow whereas the other had been severed at the shoulder. The muscles of the former were atrophied and a web of blue veins could be seen beneath the pallid white skin.

"What happened?" Luke asked, only then realizing that this question may have been insensitive.

Vader didn't seem to take offense, however. He met Luke's gaze, his eyes glowing. "This is what Kenobi did to me," he growled.

"No," Luke said at once. "Ben wouldn't…" He trailed off, recalling the incident in the cantina on Mos Eisley when the Jedi had casually chopped off a man's arm with a strike of his saber. "Why would he do this to you?" he asked.

"Why didn't he just kill me, you mean? I can only assume because he wanted me to suffer."

"He wouldn't want that," Luke insisted weakly.

"Wouldn't he?" Vader asked.

Luke fell silent as he looked away from Vader's mangled form. He was ashamed, but looking at Vader's body made him feel sick. Master Yoda would have been disappointed in him. What was it he had said? Something about us being luminous beings, not flesh. Then again, Yoda would have been disappointed in him for many more reasons than one right about now.

"It is time you learned the truth," Vader told him, prompting Luke to look back up. "The _full_ truth."


	5. A Tendentious Truth

"Shall we begin?"

Luke's head swiveled to the door where he saw Vader standing. His hair was damp, indicating he had just exited the bacta bath. Luke had been waiting in Vader's bedroom, an austere room which conspicuously lacked a bed or any sort of furnishings except for a chair and desk.

"I, uh… yeah," Luke stammered, hastily standing up out of the chair.

Vader glanced down and seemed to realize their predicament. "Forgive me, I'm not used to having company," he apologized woodenly. "Allow me to –"

"No, it's fine," Luke said. "You sit. I can stand."

Vader hesitated at this. "Are you sure?"

"Sit," Luke insisted, stepping aside and gesturing to the chair. Vader glanced at him and nodded, although not after considerable pause. Stepping forward, the hulking man arduously leaned down to grab the arm rests before falling into the chair. He sighed, eyes closed and jaw clenched. "Are you okay?" Luke asked.

"Sore," Vader confessed.

"Because of the bacta?" Vader nodded. "Yeah, I know that feeling," Luke empathized.

Vader arched an eyebrow and looked up at this comment. "You've been in bacta before?" he asked.

"On Hoth," Luke affirmed. "I got stuck out in the snow for a night."

"How did you survive?"

"Han came to rescue me," Luke explained. "He's saved my life more times than I can count."

"The pilot?"

Luke pursed his lips and looked down. "You, uh… what did you do to him?" he asked cautiously. "He's not… dead, is he?"

"No," Vader said at once.

"Then…?"

Luke could sense Vader's discomfort at this question. "I was not aware of your debt to this man," he said, not addressing the question. "If I had known –"

"What did you do to him?" Luke asked forcefully.

In an odd reversal of the roles, Vader seemed to whither under Luke's glare. Clasping his hands together over his lap, he looked away and sighed. "I will make this right," he said.

"How?"

"I will handle it, but we have more pressing matters to deal with at the moment," Vader said, returning his attention to Luke. "You want to know the truth, don't you?"

Luke nodded, yet made a mental note to pester Vader later about Han's fate. It seemed he had a unique power over Vader, and Luke planned to use it as best he could in order to save his friend from whatever he had been subjected to.

"Then let us begin," Vader said. Luke straightened out his back, eagerly awaiting answers which had eluded him for twenty-one years. "What did Kenobi tell you?" Vader asked.

"Not much," Luke admitted. "And what little he did tell me must have been false."

"Such as?" Vader inquired.

"First off, he told me you killed my father," Luke elaborated.

"He told you that?" 

"He made it seem like you were two different people."

"Vader and Skywalker?" Luke nodded. "Typical," Vader snarled. "The Jedi were always manipulators and liars."

"Why wouldn't he just tell me?" Luke asked.

"Because he wanted to use you," Vader growled, clenching his fist atop his knee. "He almost succeeded, too."

Luke allowed Vader's anger to allay before speaking. "So what actually happened?" he asked tentatively.

Vader took a long while before answering, his eyes distant as he stared down at his fist. "The Jedi lied to me," he said finally. "They feared my powers and tried to exclude me from their plans. When I found out, they turned on me."

"What plans?" Luke asked.

Vader grimaced as if the question pained him. "They were planning to… plotting against…" He stopped to exhale loudly. "This is immaterial," he resorted on saying, looking back up at Luke. "What matters is that they sent Kenobi to kill me."

Luke frowned, far from convinced by Vader's sketchy description of the events. Neither he nor Obi-Wan seemed willing to divulge the full story. Why? Was it really that bad? "Then what happened?" Luke asked.

Vader's eyes turned somber as he met Luke's inquisitive gaze. Suddenly, he stood up, his mechanical limbs creaking loudly. Surprised, Luke took a hesitant step back as Vader approached. Looming over him, Vader tilted his head as he scrutinized Luke's face with a melancholy expression.

"Father?" Luke said nervously, willingly referring to him as that for the first time.

The word had the intended effect, startling Vader out of his ruminations and back to the present. "You look –" he began to say before stopping himself abruptly.

"Like you?" Luke asked, utterly perplexed. It was true, but why was Vader thinking about that right now?

"Never mind," Vader said, shaking his head. "I… where was I?"

"The Jedi sent Obi-Wan to kill you," Luke provided, his voice laced with concern. Perhaps it had been a bad idea to ask so many questions of Vader like this. Whatever had happened all those years ago, it was clear Vader was still struggling to come to terms with it.

"Yes, yes," Vader said absently as he looked away. He turned around and languidly returned to his seat. "Kenobi," he murmured upon sitting back down .

"How did it happen?" Luke asked, craving any sort of details.

"I was overconfident," Vader said, rubbing his forehead wearily with his gloved hand. "I attempted to leap over him, but Kenobi was too quick for me. He cut off my left arm and both of my legs."

Luke winced. "Then what happened?" he asked, noticing that Vader didn't seem to have any difficulty speaking about his grievous injuries. If that wasn't the painful subject, then what was?

"I was foolish. Weak. I pleaded for him to help me. To save me."

"And he did? He saved you?"

"He ruined me!" Vader said savagely. Luke flinched, startled by the outburst. "He dragged me back to her ship and took me to a medical facility," Vader continued, regaining his cool. "He told me he felt sorry for me," he said with the utmost acrimony. "He told me… he…."

"Told you what?" Luke pressed.

Vader shook his head. "The coward fled as soon as the Emperor arrived," he intoned, the passion now gone from his voice. "He took you from me and hid for eighteen years."

"He took me? What do you mean?" Luke asked, perplexed by how this fit into the story. "Where was I?"

"You were there," Vader said vaguely.

"There? At the medical facility, you mean?"

"I didn't know," Vader mused, speaking to himself it seemed rather than to Luke.

"You didn't know?" Luke repeated. His eyes widened as a realization struck him. "Wait a minute, you said her ship," he said, recalling Vader's statement from moments earlier. "Was that… was that my mother's ship?" he asked. Vader hadn't mentioned anything about his mother up to this point, but obviously he must have had one. Had she been there?

Luke was about to push harder for an answer when the sound of a vibration stopped him. "I must take this," Vader said, sounding relieved as he pressed a button on the panel below his breastplate. "Yes?" he asked.

" _Lord Vader, is that you?_ " a voice replied via the comlink, Admiral Piett's, if Luke remembered correctly.

"Yes, of course it is," Vader said with a surly frown.

" _Forgive me, my lord. You sound a bit different, that's all. Perhaps this is a poor connection._ "

"Your mask," Luke mouthed, gaining Vader's attention.

"Oh," Vader said, realizing the reason for Piett's confusion. Clearing his throat, Vader deepened his voice when he spoke into the comlink. "The connection is fine, Admiral," he said, and Luke had to suppress a laugh at Vader's imitation of himself. "What did you want to tell me?"

" _It's Fett, my lord. The local garrison reported that they saw his ship arriving in Mos Espa a few hours ago._ "

"And?" Vader asked as he stood up once again and paced a few lengths away from Luke. "Did they apprehend him?"

" _No, my lord. He eluded captivity._ "

"Regrettable, but not surprising," Vader sighed. "I will have to do this myself. How long will it take to get to Tatooine?"

" _Not long, my lord. A few hours, perhaps._ "

"Good. I will inform the Emperor."

" _Very well, my lord._ "

Vader deactivated the comlink and turned toward Luke. "I need to go to the bridge," he told him, ignoring Luke's attempts to interject. "You stay here. If you need anything, contact me with the holoprojector on my desk." With that, Vader spun around and marched toward the open door.

"But you haven't –"

The door slid shut behind Vader.

"– told me about my mother," Luke said to the empty room.

* * *

"You still haven't told me."

Leia and Fett were walking side by side down a dusty, winding trail. Having arrived on Tatooine, Fett had insisted that she accompany him to Jabba's Palace. Having slipped away from some obtrusive stormtroopers at the Mos Espa spaceport, she and Fett had made their way out of town. Ahead of them floated Han's carbonite cage, a green tarp covering his features. Leia felt horrible, but she knew there was nothing she could do. She had seen how expertly Fett had disposed of those stormtroopers back on Bespin.

"Told you what?" Fett asked, kicking a rock up the path as they continued to ascend.

"Why you care so much about Luke," Leia elaborated, squinting as she glanced up at Fett. "Is it because he's Vader son?"

"That's part of it," Fett mumbled.

"Then what's the rest?" Leia asked.

Fett didn't answer her, shaking his head as he kicked the rock another time. The pebble skidded up ahead and took a bad bounce off the trail.

"Fine," Leia said bitterly. "Be like that."

"The less you know, the safer you'll be," Fett told her, the trail bending so that the suns were now mercifully behind them rather than in their faces.

"Safe from whom?" Leia asked.

Once again, Fett offered no response. Frustrated, Leia blew out of her mouth, pushing a stray stand of hair off her forehead. Wiping her sweaty brow, Leia bowed her head as they trudged along, the incline of the trail increasing as they grew closer to their destination. The both of them were breathing heavily now, so they fell into a natural silence. Leia's curiosity was far from sated, however. She would find out Fett's secrets, one way or another.

A few minutes later, they reached the top of the trail. She and Fett were standing in the shadow of a massive black door which served as the entrance to the structure. In spite of its grand name, Jabba's Palace was quite an inconspicuous locale – enormous, yes, but otherwise uninspiring.

"What now?" Leia asked, not seeing anyone to greet them.

"Follow me," Fett said. Surpassing Han's carbonite cage, Fett flicked his wrist and summoned the block to float behind him. Leia scampered after Fett, not wanting to get separated from him in this place. Reaching the door, Fett knocked three times, his fist clanging loudly against the metal.

"Are you sure that's going to work?" Leia asked skeptically.

Fett craned his head back to look at her. "You have no faith in me whatsoever, do you?" he said, sounding hurt.

"I don't doubt your competence, but at times I question your judgement," Leia said diplomatically.

Fett snorted at this and turned back to the door when a mechanical arm suddenly extended out from a circular flap. " _Tee chuta hhat yudd!_ " the optical sensor at the end of the arm barked in a deep, grating voice. Startled, Leia took a half step back. Fett, however, seemed unfazed.

"It's Fett," he said simply. "Tell Jabba I have his prize."

Leia pursed her lips and glanced down at the carbonite block in front of her. She felt so horribly guilty about what had happened and what was yet to come for Han. While she could concede there wasn't anything she couldn't have done differently, it didn't make the situation any less painful.

With a deafening creak, the bulwark of a door slowly began to open. Leia watched with a mixture of awe and apprehension as the door extended upward. "Stand next to me and don't say anything," Fett commanded, beckoning her forward with his hand. "I'll do all the talking, okay? And I swear, if you try to present your little counteroffer to Jabba –"

"I won't," Leia assured him as she took a step forward. "I don't want to be here for any longer than I have to."

Fett glanced at her and nodded. "That's very smart of you," he said. With that, Fett ducked under the door. Leia followed after him, not having to duck since she was a bit shorter than Fett. The bounty hunter turned around to see that the carbonite block had cleared the door. Seeing that it had, he resumed walking forward down a sandy pathway. They had entered a dark, cave-like hallway with a high, arched ceiling. As Leia's eyes adjusted, she made out a few burly figures approaching them. Fett came to a stop and held out his hand to stop her.

" _Die wanna wanga,_ " a raspy voice called out to them. Blinking a few times, Leia made out a pale twi'lek, his impressively long lekku wrapped around his neck and behind his back.

"You know I don't speak Huttese, Fortuna," Fett said.

The twi'lek laughed throatily. "You used to," he said in a heavily accented voice.

"Well, it's been a while," Fett said.

Fortuna nodded as his gaze drifted toward Leia. "What is this?" he asked, eyes narrowed. "A gift for Jabba?"

Leia felt Fett stiffen next to her. "No," he said. "She belongs with me." Leia clenched her jaw and resisted the urge to remind Fett that she didn't _belong_ to anyone.

Fortuna contemplated Leia for a moment longer before turning back to Fett. "Very well," he said. "And Solo?"

"Right here," Fett said, reaching back and patting the tarp covering of Han's carbonite block.

Fortuna tilted his head gestured for the two behemoths behind him to step forward. As they did so, Leia was able to make out their features – green, muscled, terrifying. These were Gamorreans, or so she thought. She had never seen a member of their species before.

"Hold up," Fett said, raising a hand. The Gamorreans stopped next to Fortuna, their beady eyes darting to the much-smaller bounty hunter. "Nobody touches Solo until I get my money." 

Fortuna hesitated for a moment before waving off the guards. "A reasonable request, for a man of your reputation," he conceded. "Follow me. Jabba is eager to greet you."

Fett nodded and stared down the two Gamorreans. The guards glanced at each other and then at Fortuna before begrudgingly turning around and leading the procession down the hallway, presumably toward Jabba. Leia exhaled with relief and followed after Fett who was walking side by side with Fortuna.

Her heart hammered in her chest as they neared the throne room. Raucous sounds of revelry filled the hall. Boisterous laughter and clamorous music echoed loudly, ominously. Leia was entirely out of her element in this place, and she couldn't help but fear for the worst. Sure, Fett seemed to have things under control, but she got the sense that things could change quite quickly with one wrong move.

"You coming?"

Leia cleared her mind and looked up to see Fett standing in the doorway to the throne room, one leg elevated on a step. "Of course," she said, her mouth feeling dry.

"Then let's go," Fett said impatiently.

Leia complied, following after Fett into the rambunctious throne room. She kept her head low, not wanting to accidently make eye contact with anyone. The room hushed at their entrance and the music stopped playing abruptly. Eyes fixated on Fett's heels, Leia stayed a few feet behind him as they proceeded toward the center of the room. She breathed through her mouth, sickened by the rancid stench. Finally, Fett came to a stop and Leia halted as well.

"Come here," Fett hissed, grabbing her forearm and dragging her toward him. Leia resisted, shaking off Fett's hand and stepping forward on her own volition.

" _Chowbasso, Fett,_ " came a guttural voice.

"Jabba," Fett replied.

Reluctantly, Leia looked up to see the gangster whom Han had been hiding from for three years. Jabba was a vile creature, his massive, slug-like body stretched out on an elevated concrete platform. Leia inhaled sharply when his yellow eyes met hers for a moment before he looked back at Fett.

"Solo is frozen in carbonite," Fett said. Fortuna, who was standing at attention behind Jabba, leaned down to translate into the Hutt's ear. "He is alive. You may do with him as you please."

Jabba laughed, his wide mouth stretching into a sickening smile. " _Lam'kay wee shahnit,_ " he rumbled. " _Do remma sa derra._ "

Fett and Leia both glanced up at Fortuna. "Jabba is most pleased with your work, Fett," the twi'lek told them. "You will be compensated handsomely."

Fett bowed his head in appreciation. "I would be happy to serve you in the future," he said. "I believe I could…" He stopped talking, noticing that he no longer had Fortuna's attention. A silver protocol droid had waddled up to the twi'lek and was whispering something into his ear. Fortuna's eyes widened as he listened.

"Are you certain?" Leia heard the vizier ask the droid. "Very well," he said when it nodded. Leaning down toward Jabba, Fortuna relayed the message.

" _Choy suni naga?_ " the Hutt asked, looking startled.

"What's going on?" Leia asked Fett, anxiously taking a step closer toward her ally.

"No idea," Fett whispered.

After a few moments of consultation, Fortuna stood back upright and looked down at them. "Forgive us, but something has come up," he said vaguely. "If you could kindly wait, we will return to this matter shortly."

"Of course," Fett said. He nudged her gently and stepped aside toward the edge of the grated floor beneath Jabba's perch. Han's carbonite block followed after them, and from behind emerged a little droid which rolled forward on one squeaky wheel. Leia watched curiously as the droid came to a stop in Jabba's shadow and craned its conical head upward.

" _Cheeso, Droi,_ " Jabba commanded.

Springing forth from the droid's nose was a wavering blue projection. Leia gasped, instinctively taking a step back when she saw who it was.

" _Greetings, Exalted One,_ " said Darth Vader, masked once more. " _It has come to my attention that you hired a bounty hunter by the name of Boba Fett to track down a certain Han Solo. As you know, the Empire typically does not interfere in your matters, but we cannot allow Fett to deliver Solo to you. Both Fett and Solo are wanted by the Empire. I will be arriving within the day to collect them both. In exchange, the Empire is willing to provide any sum of credits which you deem fit._ "

Vader continued on, but Leia was no longer listening. "Fett! Fett!" she hissed, tugging on the bounty hunter's arm. "We have to get out of here!"

"Shh!" Fett said, wrenching his arm free from her grasp. "Activate my comlink," he told her.

"What?" she asked.

"The green button on my forearm, see it?" he said. "I need you to press it." Leia did as he asked, subtly extending her hand toward the button. She pressed it, and the device came to life with a crackle of static.

"Rex, this is Fett," the bounty hunter whispered. "This is a code red. I repeat, code red. Contact base. I need Fulcrum."


	6. Fulcrum

Luke and Vader were standing on the deck of a skiff waiting to be permitted onto Jabba's sail barge. The Imperial shuttle which they had taken to the planet's surface was parked about a kilometer away and out of sight behind a sand dune. Vader had ordered the stormtroopers accompanying them to stay with the shuttle, insisting that they weren't needed and that their presence would only upset Jabba.

"You used to live here, didn't you?" Luke asked, squinting up at Vader.

"Did Kenboi tell you that?"

"No, my aunt and uncle did," Luke said, undeterred by Vader's astringency.

"Oh," Vader said. "Beru and Owen, you mean?"

"I don't think they really knew much at all," Luke shrugged. "They probably just made stuff up whenever I'd ask about you."

"Such as?" Vader inquired curiously.

"Like that you were a navigator on a spice freighter," Luke said, smirking.

Vader laughed, but the sound didn't convey particularly well through his mask. "If only," he said.

"But you are actually from Tatooine? They didn't make that up?"

"Unfortunately, they did not," Vader said, bowing his head.

Luke didn't get a chance to ask any further questions because just then, a rickety wooden plank began to unfurl from the edge of the sail barge toward their little skiff. He and Vader both took a step back as the plank landed in front of them with a thud. Holding a hand to his eyes, Luke looked up to see a trio of axe-wielding Gamorrean guards waiting for them at the top of the plank.

"Come," Vader instructed, stepping off the skiff and onto the plank. Luke followed carefully, the lack of side rails giving him cause for concern. One wrong step, and Luke could find himself buried in the sand below.

Reaching the top of the plank, Luke exhaled with relief as he stepped onto the deck of the sail barge. Brushing himself down, Luke looked up to acquaint himself with his surroundings. They were on the far end of the deck, having walked over the ship's sloped nose. A massive blaster fixated atop a swivel was to his left, and two other ones could be seen a few dozen feet away. Neither were being manned, yet their very presence suggested that this barge was more than a mere party ship.

The deck was tinged red on account of the triangular shades above which mitigated the intensity of the Tatooine suns. Following Vader into the rosy shadows, Luke turned his attention toward opposite end of the deck. Sprawled out atop a concrete block was Jabba himself, surrounded as always by his diverse entourage of scum and villainy. Luke's eyes drifted down from Jabba's face toward the scantily-clad woman seated in front of the Hutt.

"Leia!" he gasped.

Anger surged through him when he saw what they had done to the Princess. She was chained by the neck to Jabba, the end of the chain grasped firmly in the Hutt's meaty left hand. They had also forced her to wear a horribly revealing outfit; the metal bikini and silken loincloth did little to cover her up. Leia's lip was curled in disgust, her eyes fixated on the ground.

"Jabba," Vader said, coming to a stop a few meters away from the Hutt. "I take it you have something for me?"

Luke continued to stare at Leia, his mouth hanging open and his blood boiling. Perhaps feeling his eyes on her, Leia finally looked up. Seeing him, Leia sat up straighter. "Luke?" she seemed to say, but Luke couldn't quite hear.

"Fett and Solo will be brought out after we have discussed terms," Luke heard someone translate for Jabba.

"Terms will be flexible," Vader said. "Name a price, and the Empire will provide."

" _Den molla._ "

"Ten million credits."

"Very well," Vader agreed instantly.

" _Ocha._ "

"Each."

"Fine," Vader said. "Ten million each."

Jabba laughed, tilting his head backward. As he did so, he yanked on Leia's chain, pulling her toward him. Luke's eyes flashed furiously. Subtly, he reached into his robes and wrapped his hand around the hilt of his lightsaber.

"Jabba enjoys doing business with you, Lord Vader."

"Likewise."

"Bring them forward!"

For the first time, Luke looked away from Leia when he heard footsteps. The crowd to Jabba's left dispersed as a couple of Gamorrean guards escorted two chained men forward. The first was the bounty hunter Boba Fett, or so Luke assumed. He had never actually seen the man before. Fett was still wearing his helmet and most of his armor. Behind Fett was a far more familiar face. Han looked horribly pale and he was squinting furiously. On more than one occasion he stumbled, and the Gamorrean to his right had to grab him by the shirt to prevent him from falling over.

"I hope everything is to your satisfaction, Lord Vader," the translator said when Fett and Han came to a stop to the left of Jabba.

"Why the helmet?" Vader asked.

"Pardon?"

"Why does Fett still have his helmet?"

Vader's question was met with a pause. "Because he is a Mandalorian, Lord Vader," the voice finally answered. "It wouldn't be right."

"It wouldn't be right?" Vader repeated, incredulous.

"You may do with him as you want. Jabba will not condone it on his watch, however."

"I see." Vader took a step in front of Luke toward Fett. He considered the bounty hunter for a moment before reaching out and grabbing his arm. Fett resisted, but Vader's grip could not be escaped. Dragging him forward, Vader looked back up at Jabba. "I thank you for your cooperation," he said. "That will be all."

"No it won't," Luke growled.

Vader's head swiveled toward him. He seemed to freeze when he saw Luke had drawn his weapon.

"Release her now," Luke demanded, speaking directly to Jabba.

" _Ho ho ho,_ " the Hutt laughed, giving Leia's chain another pull. Luke face twitched and he activated his lightsaber, the blue blade humming by his side. Jabba's yellow eyes narrowed at this aggressive gesture as everyone else collectively inhaled.

"This is your last chance, Jabba," Luke said.

A tense silence followed as Luke and Jabba stared at each other unblinkingly. The Hutt's mouth stretched into a sneer as he pulled on Leia's chain even harder. She made a strangled sound and clawed at her neck, unable to breath…

A massive explosion threw Luke off his feet. He sailed through the air before landing hard on his back. Somehow, he managed to hold onto his lightsaber. Furious more so than hurt, Luke flipped over and staggered up to his feet. There was a smoldering crater in the ground directly in front of where Luke had previously been standing. All around him, Luke heard the deafening sound of blaster fire. Where it was coming from, he couldn't tell for sure. He only had eyes for Leia who, amidst the chaos, had jumped to her feet and wrapped her chain around Jabba's thick neck. She pulled with all her might, the Hutt's eyes rolling back and his tongue flailing.

"Luke!"

Looking around, Luke saw Vader on one knee. Lying on the ground was Fett. The bounty hunter wasn't stirring – unconscious or perhaps dead.

"We have to go!"

Only then did Luke register that half a dozen or so men in white armor had leapt onto the sail barge, having climbed up from ropes which were affixed to the side railing with grappling hooks. Luke frowned as he looked at them closer. They looked a bit like stormtroopers, but the design of their helmets was slightly off.

A stray bolt whizzed by him, startling Luke back to his senses. Raising his lightsaber, Luke made to run toward Jabba when he stopped, a flash of white catching his eye. Turning toward it, Luke saw a lithe Togruta wielding two bright white lightsabers rushing through the fray and toward the Hutt.

"Leia!" Luke called out, yet she couldn't hear him over the noise. She was pulling on the chain with all her strength, utterly oblivious to the Togruta running toward her.

"Luke, come on." He felt Vader grab his arm and pull him away. Luke squirmed, desperately trying to free himself.

"Leia! We have to help Leia!"

"We have to go now. Help me carry Fett."

"No!"

Luke felt as if his arm nearly tore out of its socket when Vader pulled him away. Losing his footing, Luke fell to the ground and rolled away a few feet. Dazed, Luke groped around for his lightsaber yet was unable to find it. Craning his head up, he saw Vader looming over him, Fett's unconscious body draped over his shoulder and red lightsaber grasped in his left hand.

"Get up," he barked.

Terrified, Luke did as he asked. Holding a hand to his forehead, Luke vaguely realized that he was bleeding.

"Get to the skiff," Vader ordered, his breathing labored as he began walking.

Luke hesitated for a moment as he tried to see what was happening behind Vader. Deciding there was nothing he could do, Luke spun around and ran down the deck and away from the fighting.

* * *

Leia hadn't had any idea what was happening, but she sprang into action nevertheless. Capitalizing on the chaos the explosion had caused, Leia leapt to her feet and threw her chain around Jabba's neck. Climbing on top of his slug-like body, Leia had pulled as hard as she could; disgust, rage, and survivalist instinct empowered her as she strangled her abductor to death.

She barely noticed that there was a battle ensuing around her. Only when she felt a hand on her back did she look away from Jabba with a start. Standing below her on the concrete platform was a female Togruta.

"You can stop, he's dead," she told her. "Give me your hands." Leia blinked a few times in bewilderment. Who was this woman and where had she come from? "Your hands! Now!" she said urgently.

Leia complied, releasing the chain and extending her wrists to the Togruta. She slashed upward with a white blade which looked quite a bit like Luke's lightsaber. The blade cut through the chains with ease.

"Come on, I've got to get you out of here," she said, extending a hand to her.

Leia flexed her wrists before accepting her outstretched hand. She winced as the Togruta strengthened her grip and helped her down from Jabba's body. The flesh on Leia's hands was raw from the chain.

"Where's Fett?" the Togruta asked, releasing Leia's hand.

"Fett?"

"Where is he?"

Leia looked around. Jabba's sycophants were in full retreat. Those without weapons were pitching themselves over the railing and into the sandy sea below while those few who remained were being cut down by a relentless hail of blaster fire.

"Vader had him," Leia said, squinting through the fray.

"Vader?" the Togruta repeated, startled.

"There!" Leia exclaimed, pointing toward a dark figure at the opposite end of the deck. The Togruta took a few steps forward, her two lightsabers held in either hand.

"Anakin," she said to herself.

Vader's figure disappeared out of sight when he jumped over the railing and down to the skiff from which he had arrived. The Togruta stared off at the horizon for a few moments longer before turning back to Leia.

"Here," she said, clipping her two lightsabers to her belt and removing her cloak. "Put this on."

Leia gratefully accepted the cloak and wrapped it around her bare shoulders. Feeling lightheaded, Leia sat down on the edge of the concrete platform in the shadow of Jabba's dead body. The battle had ended as quickly as it began. As the smoke cleared, Leia made out a few soldiers in white armor patrolling the deck, prodding bodies with their feet to see if they were alive.

"How are you doing, Princess?"

Looking up, Leia saw one such soldier walking toward her. Removing his helmet, he revealed himself to be Rex.

"I'm… okay," Leia said faintly.

"Did you see him?" the Togruta asked Rex, arms crossed in front of her chest.

"Vader? Oh yeah," Rex said, sighing as he set his helmet down on the ground. "Hard to miss."

"He took Fett," the Togruta told him.

Rex's expression faltered. "That's not good."

"That's an understatement," the Togruta said, shaking her head.

Leia looked back and forth between her two saviors. "Who are you?" she asked the Togruta, her voice hoarse and scratchy. She hadn't had anything to drink in hours.

"I'm Ahsoka," she said.

"You're Fulcrum?" Leia asked.

Ahsoka nodded. "And you're Leia, is that right?" she asked. "Rex told me about you." Ahsoka peered at her curiously for a few moments before looking up toward the dead Hutt behind her. "That was quite impressive," she said. "It's not easy to kill a Hutt."

"It wasn't that hard," Leia said modestly.

Ahsoka furrowed her brow as she glanced back down at Leia. "Indeed," she murmured. She stared at Leia for a moment longer before clapping her hands together. "We should get going," she said. "Rex, tell the men to move out. We've got to get out of here before the Empire sends reinforcements."

"Where are you taking me?" Leia asked, her legs wobbling as she stood upright.

"Back to base," Ahsoka told her. "You'll be safe there."

Despite the searing heat, Leia found herself shivering as she wrapped the cloak tighter around her. She felt so exposed and vulnerable.

"Here," Ahsoka said, her voice compassionate as she took a step toward Leia. "I'll help." Leia stiffened, but didn't object as Ahsoka placed an arm around Leia's back. "Lean on me," she instructed. "You'll be okay."

Leia shut her eyes tight and did as Ahsoka said. Exhaling shakily, Leia allowed herself to be guided away from the carnage and out of this horrific nightmare.


	7. Murky Waters

"Take a seat. I'll be right back, okay? I just need to check on something."

Leia nodded as Ahsoka retracted her arm from around her shoulder. She watched the Togruta walk away down the spacious cabin of the troop transport. Ensuring that her cloak was firmly fastened, Leia sat down on the bench along the side wall. Her shoulders sagged as she let out a heavy sigh. While Ahsoka's compassion had been much appreciated, Leia still felt horrible. It was as if she had been tainted. The bitter chill of the metal bikini against her skin certainly didn't help things either.

"Be careful, there's a step."

Leia turned her head toward the voice. It sounded just like Rex, but she knew it couldn't be since Rex was with Ahsoka in the cockpit. The other soldiers must be clones as well.

"Ow!"

"Oh, sorry 'bout that. The door's a bit low."

Leia jumped up out of her seat when she saw who it was lumbering into the cabin. "Han!" she exclaimed, running toward him.

"Leia?" he asked, eyes darting around as he sought out her voice.

Leia covered her mouth with her hand in horror. "He can't see?" she asked the two soldiers guiding Han.

"Oh, don't worry," the one on the left reassured her. "It should only be temporary."

"Should be?"

"Temporary blindness is a common side effect of carbon freezing," the clone informed her. "In most cases, it clears up after a few hours."

"In most cases?"

The clone glanced at his companion and shrugged. "Like I said, don't worry about it," he said. "It's just since Captain Solo was frozen in such a crude manner, we can't be completely certain what will happen."

"I'll be fine, Leia," Han insisted, giving her a winsome smile as he looked slightly to her left.

Leia pursed her lips and furrowed her brow with concern. "Here," she said, taking a step toward him and grabbing his arm. "Let me help."

"Is Chewie here?" Han asked as she guided him toward the bench.

"Chewie? No," Leia said. "I, uh… I don't know where he is."

"He's alright though, isn't he?"

"Why don't you just worry about yourself right now?" Leia suggested as she helped him sit down.

"Are you alright? How did you get out of Bespin?"

Leia shook her head and placed her hand on Han's shoulder. "I'll tell you everything later," she said softly. "Just rest right now. Are you feeling okay? Do you need some water?"

"I'm fine, really," Han said again.

"Wolfe, is everyone on board?"

Leia looked away from Han to see Rex striding toward them with his helmet tucked under his arm. Ahsoka was following a few steps behind.

"We're good to go, Captain," one of the clones responded.

"Good," Rex said. "We'll take off in five."

"Ma'am?" another clone said, pushing past two of his brothers. "We found something on the barge, I think you'll want to see it."

"Oh yeah?" Ahsoka asked, coming to a stop next to Rex.

"It's a lightsaber."

Leia watched curiously as the clone extended a shiny metal hilt toward Ahsoka. The Togruta's eyes widened as she took the lightsaber out of the clone's hands. "This was on the barge?" she asked, incredulous.

"Yes, ma'am."

"That's Luke's," Leia said, recognizing the hilt.

"Whose?" Ahsoka asked.

"Luke Skywalker," Rex said, giving Ahsoka a strong look.

Ahsoka blinked a few times in astonishment. "You mean to say –"

"That's exactly what I'm saying," Rex interrupted.

"Could somebody tell me what's going on here?" Leia asked, standing up and placing her hands on her hips. "What's so important about Luke's last name?" Ahsoka and Rex both looked at each other. "This has to do with Vader, doesn't it? Because Luke's his son."

"Say what?" Han sputtered.

"How do you know about that?" Ahsoka asked.

"I was there when Vader told him," Leia said. "Fett and I saw it happen."

"So Fett knows?" Ahsoka asked Rex.

"Yep," Rex confirmed. "We didn't get to talk about it, though."

Ahsoka glanced over at the other clones who were awkwardly watching the conversation. "Could you guys, uh… do you mind –"

"Clear out, would ya'?" Rex said for her. "Go on. Shoo. Give 'em some space."

"Sure thing, Captain," one of the clones said, backing away. The clones turned their backs on them and began whispering amongst themselves from a distance.

Satisfied, Ahsoka took a step toward Leia. "What exactly did Fett tell you?" she asked, lowering her voice.

"About Luke?"

"Sure," Ahsoka said. "What did he tell you?"

Leia looked down as she tried to remember what exactly the bounty hunter had said back on Bespin. "He didn't tell me much," she said honestly. "All he said was that Luke belonged to him."

"Belonged? That's how he phrased it?"

Leia nodded. "It was weird," she said. "He acted like Luke was… well, like he was his property, or something."

"He's got a point," Rex said from behind Ahsoka.

Irritated by Rex's interjection, Ahsoka raised her hand. "And what about Vader?" she asked. "Did he tell you about him?"

"Not really," Leia said, beginning to feel uncomfortable with this interrogation. "He seems to hate him, though. He tried to kill him, actually."

"What?" Ahsoka exclaimed, aghast.

"Yeah, he shot at his face," Leia explained.

"His face? You mean to say he took his mask off?"

"Just for a minute," Leia confirmed. "He looked… normal."

"Normal?"

"Like a regular person, you know? I always thought he would have looked like… I don't know. Evil?"

Ahsoka shook her head as she looked down at the lightsaber in her hands. "Evil," she repeated, closing her eyes for a moment. "Rex, come with me," she ordered, spinning around on her heel abruptly. "We need to talk."

Leia watched the pair walk away back toward the cockpit. She turned around and kicked the bench in frustration, startling Han. What was going on and why wasn't anyone willing to explain things to her? She had a right to know, didn't she?

* * *

"Are you okay, Luke?"

Luke glanced up at Vader, his mask doing little to belie his concern. "I'm fine," Luke said, rotating his shoulder gingerly. "A bit sore," he added, wincing.

"I am sorry," Vader said, not for the first time. "But you have to understand –"

"Yeah, I get it," Luke said, waving his hand as he sat down in the copilot's chair in the cockpit of Vader's shuttle. "We had to go."

Vader gave him a long look. On the one hand, it was endearing how contrite he was, but Luke was too upset to consider that at the moment. All he could think about was how flippantly Vader had chosen to disregard Luke's friends. He had thought the whole reason they were here was to save Han, yet the moment things turned south, he had elected to take Fett and run.

"I will rectify this," Vader said finally.

"How are you going to do that?" Luke snapped. "Han and Leia could be dead, for all you know."

"They're not dead," Vader said assuredly.

"Oh no? How do you know that?"

"She wouldn't have hurt them."

"She?" Luke asked, perplexed. "Who are you –"

"I am going to talk with Fett," Vader interrupted, diverting the conversation abruptly. "You are welcome to accompany me."

Luke blinked a few times, caught off guard by this invitation. "I, um…"

"I would like you to accompany me," Vader told him, wooden yet clearly candid.

"Okay," Luke said, getting to his feet. "Um… lead the way."

Vader spun around and marched out of the cockpit. Luke stayed behind for a few moments as he processed the bizarre turn of events which led him to this spot. Shaking his head, Luke cleared his mind and followed after his father.

"Leave us," he heard Vader order. "Take over the ship."

"Yes, my lord."

A trio of stormtroopers passed Luke by in the hallway leading to the cockpit. Pressing himself against the wall to make room for them, Luke carried on to the cabin. Arriving, Luke saw Fett seated in one of the bucket seats against the wall. His helmeted head was rested against the cushioned padding of the headrest and his right leg was draped across his left thigh. He looked remarkably comfortable, and were it not for the binders strapped to his wrists, Luke would have thought that this was his ship, not Vader's.

"Luke Skywalker," Fett said, craning his head toward him when he entered the cabin. He stared at him silently for a moment. He seemed to be scanning him over, yet Luke couldn't tell since he couldn't see the man's eyes through the mask. "We meet at last," Fett said after an uncomfortable silence.

"What do you know about me?" Luke asked, glancing at Vader.

"Your father hired me to track down your friend, Han Solo," Fett said as he bobbed his foot. "Turns out he really just wanted to get to you, though."

"You listened to our conversation?" Vader asked, looming over Fett.

"It was hard not to," Fett said calmly. "You have a powerful voice, Lord Vader. Very powerful."

"Who hired you?"

"You. Remember?"

"Who hired you to kill me?" Vader asked, hands balled up into fists.

Fett didn't answer, languidly shifting his attention toward Luke. "The resemblance is uncanny," he commented glibly.

"You will tell me what I need to know, Fett," Vader growled.

"Or what?"

"Or what? What do you mean 'or what?'"

"What are you going to do? Torture me? Pull the truth out of me? Are you really going to do that in front of your son?"

Vader turned his head toward Luke. "I…" he began to say before trailing off. "What's it matter to you?" he asked, looking back at Fett. "You're a bounty hunter. Why are you so loyal to whoever hired you?"

"Some of us have principles," Fett said haughtily.

Luke's mouth fell open at Fett's audacity. Who did he think he was to speak to Darth Vader like that? Wasn't he afraid of him?

"The Emperor hired you, didn't he?" Vader asked in a low voice.

Fett tilted his head curiously at this question. "What makes you say that?"

"He's the only person you'd be more afraid of than me," Vader said. "That's why you're not revealing his identity."

"I'm not afraid of either of you," Fett said. "Disgusted, perhaps, but not afraid."

Stunned silence met this proclamation. At once, Luke could tell that Fett was being genuine: he honestly didn't fear Vader whatsoever. Such a reality must have been unprecedented for Vader. Everyone was supposed to fear him, and everyone had up until now.

"Look, I can tell you that I haven't been hired by the Emperor to kill you," Fett said, uncrossing his legs and leaning forward. "But if you doubt me, why don't you take me to him?"

"Why would I do that?" Vader asked.

"It'll be worth your time," Fett said vaguely.

Vader considered the proposition for a few seconds before taking a step away from Fett. "What's your end game?" Vader asked.

"End game?" Fett repeated. He thought about this for a while, bowing his head toward the ground. "I have no end game," he said eventually. "I haven't in a long, long time."

* * *

The troop transport had taken off from Tatooine and jumped into hyperspace when Leia stood up. The rest of the clones were milling about in the back of the cabin, giving her and Han some space. Rex and Ahsoka were still in the cockpit, speaking in hushed tones.

"Leia?" Han asked, sensing that she was no longer next to him. "Where'd you go?"

"I'll be right back," she assured him. Tiptoeing over to the curved entrance to the cockpit, Leia pressed her back against the wall and strained her ears to overhear the conversation.

"I'm just asking, why her?" she heard Ahsoka say. "Why choose this girl?"

Leia frowned. Was she talking about her? If so, why was she calling her a girl? She was twenty-one years old!

"Like I said, we didn't get a chance to talk," came Rex's voice. "It was odd, though."

"I don't think it's enough that she knows Anakin's son. No there's more going on here. Did you see what she did to Jabba? She strangled him, Rex! You can't just strangle a Hutt like that."

"So what are you saying?"

"I can't be completely sure, but…" Leia leaned forward farther when she was unable to hear what Ahsoka said next. She had just held up a hand to her ear when Ahsoka's voice returned, startlingly loud. "Leia, I know you're listening." Surprised, Leia leapt backward. How had she seen her? She couldn't possibly have! She was perfectly hidden. "Get in here, would you?"

Leia sheepishly stepped into the doorway, revealing herself to them. Rex was seated in the pilot's chair, smirking as he swiveled his seat over toward her. Ahsoka was leaning against the side wall, arms crossed and her expression inscrutable.

"How much did you hear?" Ahsoka asked.

"Nothing," Leia said at once. Ahsoka arched an eyebrow skeptically. "Okay, not nothing," she murmured. "You were talking about me."

Ahsoka considered her for a moment before beckoning her forward. "Tell me, Leia," she said once Leia was fully in the cockpit. "Where are you from?"

"Where am I from?" Leia echoed, confused by the question. Ahsoka nodded encouragingly. "Well, erm… I'm from Alderaan," she said with a pang of melancholy.

"I see," Ahsoka said, voice soft with compassion. Leia swallowed hard and looked away from the Togruta's unwavering gaze. "You must be the Organa's daughter, is that right?"

Leia nodded. "Did you know my parents?" she asked in a small voice.

"Oh, I knew Bail quite well," Ahsoka said, eyes twinkling.

"He was a good man," Rex contributed.

"Forgive me for asking, but you were adopted, were you not?" Ahsoka asked.

Leia narrowed her eyes at the Togruta. "What makes you say that?"

Ahsoka glanced at Rex who seemed to share her amusement at Leia's defensiveness. "You look nothing like them, that's all," she said. Leia pursed her lips and didn't answer Ahsoka. "You do, however, look just like another senator whom Rex and I are quite familiar with."

Rex's eyes practically bulged out of their sockets at this comment. "Wait –"

"Come on, Rex," Ahsoka said, rolling her eyes. "You mean to tell me you didn't see it?"

"See what?" Leia asked.

"No, that's not possible," Rex said before Ahsoka could answer.

"Improbable, but not impossible," Ahsoka amended. "Just look at her, Rex!"

"I don't see it," Rex said, tilting his head as he scrutinized Leia's face.

"See what?" Leia asked again in exasperation.

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes at Leia. "Do you know anything about your birthparents?" she asked her.

Utterly bewildered by this point, Leia threw her hands up in the air only to remember she was wearing the ill-fitting cloak. Blushing, Leia covered herself up by wrapping the folds tighter around her body. Seeing her discomfort, Ahsoka's determined expression faltered.

"How about we talk about this later?" she suggested, giving Rex a pointed look. "Could you leave us, Rex?" she asked of the clone.

Rex glanced back and forth between Leia and Ahsoka before nodding. "You're wrong about this," he said, standing up. "There's no way."

"We'll see," Ahsoka said. Leia stepped aside, giving Rex a wide berth as he passed her out of the cockpit. Once he was gone, Ahsoka placed a hand on Leia's upper arm. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "It was wrong of us to interrogate you."

"I just want to know what's going on," Leia said.

"So would I," Ahsoka mused. The Togruta stared off into space for a few moments before shaking her head. "You should get some rest," she instructed finally, looking up and giving Leia a thin smile. "Stay here. I'll let you have some privacy."

Leia considered objecting, but ultimately thought better of it. Instead, she nodded and glanced down at the pilot's chair. She couldn't deny that she was exhausted. Perhaps some rest was what she needed.

"Good," Ahsoka said, patting her shoulder. "Sleep well, Princess." With that, the Togruta exited the cockpit, leaving Leia alone with all of her questions still unanswered.


	8. Spilling Secrets

"Welcome to Maverick Base."

Leia was walking slightly behind Ahsoka, her bare feet sinking in the waterlogged ground. The base was located in the middle of a dense forest, the long shadows cast by the coniferous trees blotting out the bright morning sunlight. Leia shivered and rubbed her arms together, the thin cloak not doing enough to keep her warm.

"It's not much, but it is secure," Ahsoka said as they passed a signals station set up atop wooden crates. "We've been set up here for about three months. Haven't had any problems yet."

"This is a Rebel cell?" Leia asked, teeth chattering.

Ahsoka turned around. "Oh, I'm sorry," she said. "Let's get you some clothes."

Leia nodded appreciatively. "This is a cell?" she asked again.

"Sure thing," Ahsoka said, falling into step with Leia and guiding her toward a row of tents by the edge of the clearing. "We provide intel and conduct raids on Imperial supply lines. It's not as exciting as I'm sure you're used to, but we play a role."

"That's great," Leia said. "We need all the help we can get."

The two women walked in silence for a few lengths as Leia focused on avoiding the muddy pools of water. Upon sidestepping one, Leia looked up at Ahsoka. "What did you mean back on the ship?" she asked.

"I'm afraid you're going to have to be more specific," Ahsoka said with a chuckle.

"About me looking like a senator you knew," Leia elaborated.

Ahsoka's smile faded. "It's just a theory," she mumbled.

"About my birth mother?" Leia asked.

Ahsoka looked up and met Leia's gaze. "You don't know anything about your birthparents, do you?"

Leia shook her head. "My father said it was too dangerous for me to know," she said, recalling their conversation when Leia had been elected senator. "He said… he said that the less I know…"

"The less you know, the safer you'd be?" Ahsoka provided when she trailed off.

Leia nodded absently. "Did my father know Boba Fett?" she asked suddenly.

Ahsoka gave Leia a sharp look. "Why do you ask that?"

"It's just… he told me the exact same thing when we were on Tatooine," Leia explained.

"You asked Fett about your parents?"

"No, I asked him about Luke," Leia told her. "I wanted to know why he was so interested in him. Do you know why?"

Ahsoka hesitated as they came to a stop in front of a conical tent. "I think Fett and your father were right, Leia," she said after a moment's deliberation. "You'd be safer if you didn't know."

"But why?" Leia asked, following after Ahsoka who ducked into the tent. "I mean, it's not like I'm especially safe as it is," she pointed out, standing upright once she was inside.

"That's true," Ahsoka conceded.

"So what do you know?" Leia pried.

"About what?"

"About anything. About Fett. About Luke. About… me."

Ahsoka sighed as she kneeled down to open a chestnut chest lying beside an air mattress. "I know some things and I don't know other things," she said vaguely.

"Wow, that's sure helpful."

"I mean it, Leia," Ahsoka said, craning her head to look at her. "There are some things you really shouldn't know."

"Like what? Like who my biological mother is? You're saying that's something I shouldn't be allowed to know?"

Ahsoka faltered at this, chewing her lower lip as she looked back down at the open crate. "Here," she said upon producing a blue jumpsuit. "This should warm you up."

Leia accepted the offering, yet made no move to put it on. "I want answers, Ahsoka," she said, arms crossed.

Ahsoka nodded. "I understand," she said. "Get changed, and then we'll talk."

* * *

"Lord Vader, the Emperor requested that you make contact."

The ramp to the shuttle had just unfurled when Admiral Piett greeted them. Vader was standing ahead of him and Fett, his cape rippling behind him as he peered down at his subordinate.

"Is that so?" he asked.

"Yes, my lord," Piett affirmed.

"Very well, I will speak to him as soon as I am able."

"Yes, my lord," Piett said again. The admiral bowed stiffly before spinning around and walking away. Vader stood motionless atop the ramp for a moment as he watched Piett depart.

"Are you going to tell the Emperor about me?" Fett asked.

"I will do as I deem fit," Vader said crisply. "For now, I will bring you to your cell."

He stepped off the ship and Fett and Luke followed after him. Luke glanced surreptitiously at the bounty hunter. The man truly was an enigma.

The trio marched in silence down the shiny halls of the _Executor._ Luke's mind drifted as they took turn after turn. Was Leia going to be okay? Vader seemed quite confident that those people wouldn't hurt her, but he hadn't explained why. Could it be that he was just lying so that Luke wouldn't pry any further?

"Here we are."

They had arrived in the prison ward, and Luke suddenly had a flashback to the Death Star when he and Han had rescued the Princess three years ago. The hallway looked identical.

"After you, Fett."

Fett gave Vader a look before bowing his head and descending down the steps toward the cell door. Luke followed after when Vader gestured for him to enter second. Once again, Luke found himself back in a memory. The cell was the same as the one he had rescued Leia from; a single black bench along the back wall the soul feature of the austere room.

"I will return shortly," came Vader's voice, still in the hallway. Luke turned around and craned his head to see him looming over them. "Luke will keep you company until then."

"I will?" Luke asked, yet the cell door had closed shut. "Hey!" he exclaimed, running toward the door. Had Vader just locked him in a cell with a dangerous criminal? Why would he do that?

"Some father, isn't he?"

Luke turned around to see Fett seated on the bench, his wrists still restrained with binders. At least Luke could take solace in that.

"What do you think of him?" Fett asked.

"What do you care?"

"Just curious," Fett said with a shrug.

"Well it's personal," Luke snapped.

"Very much so," Fett agreed. A long pause followed before the bounty hunter spoke again. "Perhaps I could help provide some outside perspective."

"Why would I need that?"

Fett shook his head and looked away. "Whatever," he mumbled. "It's an open offer."

Luke considered the bounty hunter for a long while, the latter refusing to make eye contact as he tapped his foot against the cell floor. "I don't hate him, if that's what you think," Luke insisted, breaking the silence.

"I don't think that," Fett said.

"He's done horrible things, but he's had horrible things happen to him too, you know."

"I don't doubt it."

"He's my father! I can't just… I have to help him! Can't you understand that?"

"Of course."

"Deep down, he's a good person. Or at least decent. He's not a monster. You might not see it, but I can. You don't understand him like I do."

Fett stared at him for a few moments before shaking his head. "No, Luke," he said. "You don't understand him at all."

Luke flinched at this assessment. "And you do?" he asked.

Fett didn't respond, and Luke decided to drop the subject there. Turning away from Fett, Luke began to pace the length of the compact cell. Why had that comment bothered him so much? Was it because it was true? Because Luke didn't actually know the first thing about his father, and Fett knew it?

The minutes stretched on into hours. Having grown bored of pacing, Luke sat down on the floor with his back rested against the wall. What was taking so long? Hadn't Vader said he would return shortly?

He felt Fett's eyes on him, but Luke feigned ignorance as he absentmindedly picked at his fingernails. What was this man's deal? Why did he care so much about his relationship with his father? It was none of his business!

Luke suddenly leapt to his feet when the door to the cell opened without warning. In strode Vader, ducking as he entered through the low doorframe.

"Well?" Fett asked, standing up as well. "What did he say?"

"The Emperor claims to have no knowledge of you," Vader said, the door closing shut behind him.

"That's a lie," Fett said.

"I know it," Vader concurred.

"So are you going to take me to him?" Fett asked.

"Why would I do that?"

"To find out the truth."

"I fail to see why I would need to take you to him to learn the truth," Vader commented. "You could tell me right now, couldn't you?"

"I could, but I'm not going to," Fett said.

"Why not?"

"I have my reasons."

Luke could sense Vader beginning to grow frustrated at the bounty hunter's opacity. "You are in no position to negotiate, Fett," he growled. "Tell me what you know."

Fett hesitated. "I'll tell you part of it," he said. "But I'm not telling you everything until you bring me to the Emperor."

Vader glanced at Luke as he considered this proposition. "Tell me what you want and then I will determine whether I will bring you to him," he compromised.

"Deal," Fett agreed at once.

"So get talking," Vader said, crossing his arms in front of his chest. "How do you know the Emperor?"

"How else? He hired me for a job a while back," Fett said.

"What sort of job?"

"A top secret one. So secret that only he and I were allowed to know about it."

"Why would he choose you for such a task?"

Fett shrugged. "He trusted my father, so why shouldn't he trust me?"

"Your father? Jango Fett, you mean?"

"That's the one."

Luke was beginning to feel dizzy with this rapid back and forth. "How do you know about his father?" he managed to interject.

"I know of him, but we never were acquainted," Vader explained. "Mace Windu killed him at Geonosis, isn't that right?"

"Indeed, he did," Fett confirmed.

"Would it serve as any consolation for you to know that I killed Windu?" Vader asked.

"None whatsoever," Fett said coolly.

Clearly surprised, Vader took a moment before continuing. "If you can't provide specifics, can you at least tell me what the nature of this assignment was?" he asked.

"Of course," Fett said. "Assassination."

"Of whom?"

"Of the Emperor's most dangerous enemy."

Silence met this disclosure. "A Rebel leader?" Luke asked once it became clear that Vader was not going to inquire further. "Mon Mothma?"

Fett shook his head. "This person was not affiliated with the Rebellion," he said.

"Was not?" Luke asked, honing in on the past tense. "Does that mean they're affiliated with them now?"

"Or it means they're dead," Vader contributed.

"None of the above," Fett said.

"Then who is it?" Luke asked.

"That I cannot say."

Luke and Vader glanced at each other, both of them unsure how to proceed.

"So what do you say?" Fett asked. "Will you take me to him now?"

* * *

"How's he doing?"

Startled, Leia spun around in her seat to see Ahsoka standing in the entrance to the medical tent.

"Where have you been?" Leia asked. "I've been waiting for hours!"

"I've got responsibilities around here, you know," Ahsoka said with attitude. "How's your friend doing? I heard his vision was coming back."

Leia returned her attention to Han who was snoring on a white cot, a hand rested behind his head. "He's doing fine," she said.

"Well that's good news."

Leia pursed her lips and nodded. "So are we going to talk or what?" she asked.

"Follow me."

Standing up, Leia hesitated before deciding to plant a soft kiss on Han's forehead. He stirred a bit, and Leia smiled before turning around to follow Ahsoka out of the tent. Stepping outside, Leia could see that the base was in full swing as droids, clones, and others performed their various responsibilities.

"We'll go to the ship," Ahsoka told her, taking a left away from the activity. "We shouldn't be disturbed there."

Once they were out of earshot from any potential listeners, Leia spoke. "You're a Jedi, aren't you?" she asked.

Ahsoka glanced at her briefly. "Of sorts," she said.

"What does that mean?"

"I left the Order before the purge," she explained. "That's the only reason why I'm alive today."

"I'm sorry," Leia said. She could empathize with the woman. After all, both of them had lost everything they had once held dear.

"Yeah, well it is what it is," Ahsoka mumbled.

Leia felt more than comfortable allowing the conversation to die there. The pair walked in silence for two minutes before arriving at the troop transport which was parked in a circular clearing in the woods. A large camouflaged tarp had been placed atop the vessel to hide it from any aerial reconnaissance.

"After you," Ahsoka said, gesturing to the ramp.

Climbing aboard, Leia ambled into the center of the empty compartment, hands stuffed in the pockets of her jumpsuit as she swept her feet against the dusty floor.

"I just want to preface this by saying I can't tell you everything," Ahsoka said from behind her. "There are some secrets I'm not allowed to divulge, even if I wanted to."

Leia turned around and tilted her head. "This all has to do with Vader, doesn't it?" she asked. "With Luke being his son," she added, still scarcely able to believe that.

"What do you know about Vader?" Ahsoka asked her.

"Not much," Leia admitted. "Nothing at all, actually."

"Have you met him before?"

"I saw him all the time in Imperial Center before the Senate was dissolved," Leia said. "I've only ever talked to him twice, though."

"When?"

"First time was three years ago," she said. "He boarded my ship because he knew I was carrying the plans to the Death Star."

"Did he hurt you?"

"No, he didn't touch me."

"Really?" Ahsoka asked, eyebrow arched.

"He took me back to the Death Star and pretended to interrogate me," she explained. "Later he told Tarkin that I had resisted considerable torture, or something like that. It was really odd."

Ahsoka nodded and stroked her chin pensively. "Curious," she mused. "When was the second time?" she asked after a moment's consideration.

"Just a few days ago on Bespin. He captured us and used us as bait to get to Luke."

"Cunning," Ahsoka said, the corner of her lips twitching.

Leia frowned at her appreciation of this tactic. "He had Han tortured," she said, causing Ahsoka's expression to sober. "He didn't even ask him anything. He did it just because."

"And yet he didn't so much as lay a finger on you."

Leia faltered as she considered this. Now that she thought about it, that didn't make much sense. What made her different from Han in Vader's eyes? They were both traitorous rebels, were they not?

"Take a seat, Leia," Ahsoka instructed. "This is going to take a while."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A bit of an uneventful chapter, I'll admit. The Luke and Fett character development is important, albeit not particularly exciting. You're going to want to stay tuned, however. The next chapter's a real doozy! I don't want to spoil anything, but something big is about to go down.


	9. Revelation

"Leia, would you sit down please?"

"Nope. No way. No, no, no."

"Leia, just calm down."

"Calm down? Don't ask me to calm down! You just told me Darth Vader's my father!"

"I suspect he might be, I don't know for sure."

Leia was pacing agitatedly back and forth in the cabin as she manically ran her hands through her hair. "What evidence do you have?" she asked shrilly. "What could ever make you think such a thing?"

"If you sit down, I'll tell you," Ahsoka said as calmly as she was able.

Leia closed her eyes and exhaled slowly out her mouth. "I am not Darth Vader's daughter," she said. "No way. Not possible."

"You know, with each passing second I'm becoming more and more sure that you are," Ahsoka said.

"What is that supposed to mean?" Leia asked.

"You're just like him," Ahsoka told her. "Stubborn as all hell."

"You speak as if you know him," Leia said, spinning on her heel.

"I did."

Leia ceased pacing at this. "You did?" she asked. "When?"

"He was my master back when I was in the Order," she explained.

Leia blinked a few times in astonishment. "Your master?" she repeated. "You mean to say Vader was a Jedi too?"

"One of the very best," Ahsoka said, her eyes shining. "Sit down, please."

She forced herself to breathe and calm down. In and out, in and out. She couldn't panic like this. Besides, there was still a chance Ahsoka was mistaken. But Leia somehow knew that she wasn't. Had she never seen Vader's face, maybe she could have dismissed it. But she had. Knowing what he looked like, knowing that he was a human underneath the mask – Leia couldn't call Ahsoka a liar.

Because Leia had been drawn to the man the moment she laid eyes on him. She hadn't understood it then, but she did now. On some level she must have known even without knowing.

Darth Vader. Her father.

"I can't believe this," she said faintly as she sat down cross-legged in front of Ahsoka.

"I understand why you're skeptical," Ahsoka said. "But I do have my reasons."

"Such as?"

"Firstly, I saw what you did to that Hutt back on Tatooine," she said.

"What's that got to do with anything?"

"No regular human could perform a feat like that," she explained. "Either you have superhuman strength, or you unknowingly used the Force to kill him."

"The Force?" Leia asked. "I… no, I couldn't have."

"You know what it is?"

"Vaguely," Leia said, kneading her temples. "Luke told me a bit about it." Her eyes suddenly widened. "Wait a second –"

"Luke is your twin brother, yes," Ahsoka confirmed for her.

"My brother!" she exclaimed, stunned.

"I would imagine that you and Luke are both extremely powerful in the Force," Ahsoka said. "After all, Anakin was the most naturally gifted Jedi the Order had ever seen."

"Anakin?" Leia repeated dazedly.

"His true name," Ahsoka said. "Anakin Skywalker. He was like a brother to me."

"He was?"

"When I found out what happened to him…" Ahsoka trailed off, a distant look in her eyes. "He's still in there," she said. "I'm sure of it."

"You think so?"

"Why do you think he didn't torture you?"

Leia frowned at this suggestion. "You mean to say he knew?"

"No," Ahsoka said. "But he could see who you looked like."

Leia's mouth suddenly felt dry. "Like… my mother?" she asked, practically whispering.

"Same eyes, same hair, same beauty," Ahsoka said, smiling. "He must have seen it."

"Did you know her?" Leia asked.

"Oh yes. Not as well as Anakin, but I knew her."

"What… what was her name?" Leia clenched her jaw in frustration when Ahsoka hesitated. "You have no right to keep this from me," she growled.

"No, you're right," Ahsoka said, rubbing her eyes. "I'm just so used to keeping this a secret."

"Why?"

"Anakin was never supposed to be married. It was against the Jedi Code. He wasn't exactly subtle about it, however. I figured it all out on my own and I've been keeping it a secret ever since."

"You mean no one else knows?"

"As I said, Anakin wasn't very subtle about things. A few people knew the truth. Obi-Wan, Rex, and myself, for example. But the reason why it's so dangerous for you to know is because of one particular person who knows everything."

"Who?"

"The Emperor."

Leia felt the hairs on the back of her neck stick straight up. "How does he know?" she asked.

"He and Anakin were quite close back when he was just Chancellor Palpatine," Ahsoka said. "I suspect he must have figured it out then."

A silence passed as Leia absorbed this information. "I don't care how dangerous it is," she said, shaking her head determinedly. "I want to know."

"You have every right to know."

"So what is her name?"

Ahsoka sighed. "Her name was Padmé," she said.

Leia inhaled sharply. "Padmé Amidala? As in the senator and queen from Naboo?"

Ahsoka looked up and gave her a curious look. "You know of her?" 

"She's my mother?"

"I believe so."

Leia held her hands over her mouth and gasped. "She's my idol!" she squealed. "My father told me all about her when I was a kid!" She paused as she made a realization. "He must have known," she said. "How could he not have?"

"I'd imagine he did, yes," Ahsoka said.

"But if he knew, why… why didn't I ever meet her?" Leia swallowed hard when the truth struck her. "She's dead, isn't she? That's why I never met her."

Ahsoka pursed her lips and looked away. "I hope not," she murmured.

"What does that mean?" Leia asked. "Is she dead or not?"

"I don't know," Ahsoka said, still not meeting her gaze. "I honestly don't. The woman I knew… I hope she's still out there."

Leia frowned and looked down at her feet. "How did someone like her ever love someone like Vader?" she asked.

"She didn't. She loved Anakin."

"Same difference."

"You wouldn't think that if you knew him." Leia shook her head and sighed. She felt Ahsoka's eyes on her, but she didn't look up. "Leia, I want you to have this," Ahsoka said. "It belongs with you."

Leia heard something slide across the floor toward her. It was Luke's lightsaber, the hilt coming to a stop when it bumped against her knee. "I can't use this," she said, picking up the hilt and turning it over in her hands.

"Would you like to learn how?"

Leia finally looked up. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"I want to train you, Leia."

* * *

"I still think this is a bad idea."

"Would you calm down, Vader? Your son won't be in any danger."

"How can you say that?"

"Palpatine will be too distracted with me to spare any attention to a stormtrooper."

Luke gulped nervously as he attempted to straighten out his breastplate. He had worn stormtrooper armor once before on the Death Star, and it had been just as uncomfortable then. Perhaps Leia had been right. He really was too short to be a stormtrooper.

"If you're wrong, Fett, I swear I will –"

"Yeah, yeah. You'll kill me. Got it."

Luke was free to smirk at Fett's flippancy since his face was hidden by the mask. In a way, it really was liberating to hide in this way. No wonder Vader and Fett liked it.

"It'll be fine, Father," Luke said, once again using that name for strategic benefit. Vader always seemed to soften whenever Luke called him that.

"We'll see about that," he muttered.

The three were seated in the back of an unmarked speeder which was being driven by a droid. Fett was squashed in between Vader and himself, his arms tucked in since there wasn't enough space. The speeder was only designed for two, but Luke and Fett were small enough to make it work. Vader, on the other hand, was clearly uncomfortable.

"How much longer?" Luke asked him.

"We're close," Vader said, glancing out the window. Luke followed suit, turning away so that he too could take in the city. Luke had never before seen a place like Imperial Center. The galaxy's eternal city was awe-inspiring.

"Is it true that the Emperor's palace is located in the old Jedi Temple?" Fett asked.

Luke could sense Vader's tension at this question. "It is," he said gruffly.

Fett snorted. "How fitting," he murmured.

The remainder of the speeder ride was made in complete silence. Luke could scarcely believe that this was happening. He was on his way to meet the Emperor himself! While the plan was for him to remain anonymous underneath his stormtrooper disguise, Luke couldn't help but consider what would happen should the Emperor find out who he was. There was nothing Luke would be able to do to defend himself since he was without his lightsaber. Would Vader protect him? He had to believe that he would, but Luke couldn't be sure.

"Here we are."

Luke lurched forward a bit as the speeder decelerated. Looking up out the window, he saw that they had arrived at the base of a massive structure with high, pointed spires. Luke craned his head, enraptured by the impressive architecture.

"Get your blaster out, would you?"

Luke tore his eyes away from the window to see Fett looking at him. "Huh?" he asked.

"I'm your prisoner, remember?"

"Oh, right!"

The door opened and Vader was the first to step out. He stretched his limbs, clearly relieved to be free from the cramped speeder. He and Fett scrambled out after him, Luke awkwardly sliding across the leather seat while keeping his blaster fixated on Fett's back. Once they were all out, the speeder zipped away, leaving them alone at the base of a set of marble stairs.

"Shall we?" Fett said, taking the initiative when Vader failed to move.

Vader didn't reply. Cape billowing behind him in the breeze, he began marching up the stairs without waiting to see if he and Fett were following him. Perplexed, Luke glanced at Fett who shrugged.

"Come on, kid," he said. "Make it believable."

Luke did as he asked, pushing Fett on the back to get him to walk forward. "Let's go, bounty hunter," he said, grabbing Fett roughly by the arm and pulling him up the stairs.

"The blaster! Remember the blaster!"

Luke made sure the safety was on before pointing the blaster at Fett's neck. "Is that okay?" he asked in a whisper.

"You're really not good at this, are you?"

"Oh, shut up, would you?"

"That's better," Fett said, nodding encouragingly.

Luke suppressed a chuckle as they climbed onward. Reaching the top of the stairs, they were confronted by a pair of red-robed Royal Guards with staffs.

"I am here to see the Emperor," Vader told the guards.

They nodded silently and turned around. The three followed after them through a massive, arched doorway and into the palace. Luke did his best not to stare at the ostentatious décor as he and Fett walked side by side. Instead, he stared down at his feet and kept the blaster pointed at Fett. They were walking along a crimson red carpet which gave Luke the distinct impression of a river of blood. The obsidian floors and bleak lighting further enhanced the palace's ominous ambiance. A shudder ran up Luke's spine as an oppressive cold washed over him. This was a terrible place.

Vader seemed to agree. He began walking faster and faster, clearly eager to get this over with. Luke did his best to keep up, his ill-fitting armor clattering loudly as he hurried after Vader and the guards. Finally, they came to a stop when the hallway terminated at an elevator.

"I will go first," Vader said. "There is not enough room for all of us. You stay with the prisoner."

"Leave us, stormtrooper," one of the guards instructed.

"No," Vader said at once. "He stays."

The guards looked at one another, but didn't object. Vader considered them for a moment longer before stepping into the elevator. He turned around to give them one last look before the doors closed behind him.

They waited for about a minute before the elevator returned. He and Fett stepped in first, followed closely by the two guards. It was a tight fit, Luke having to press his back against the wall in order to permit the guards entry. He lowered his blaster, deeming it superfluous considering the level of security around Fett now.

The elevator ascended upward and upward. They must have been going up one of the spires, Luke realized. There was no other point in the palace which was this high up.

Luke exhaled with relief when the elevator finally came to a stop. He felt himself decompress as the two guards exited the lift and stepped aside.

"Ah, if it isn't Boba Fett," came a drawling voice.

Getting a hang of his role, Luke pushed Fett out of the elevator. The bounty hunter stumbled forward, clearly surprised by Luke's initiative. He followed after him, raising his blaster once again and pressing it against his back.

Only then did Luke look up to see the Emperor himself looming above them. The man was seated on a massive yet unadorned black throne atop a flight of stairs. Vader was standing by his side, hands clasped in front of his body. Luke hesitated, lip curling in disgust as he took in the Emperor's repugnant face. His skin was wrinkled and his yellowed teeth were bared. The most upsetting feature was undeniably his eyes, however. They were glowing gold, the fiery irises coruscating and mesmerizing.

"Bring him here, trooper," the Emperor commanded, startling Luke back to reality.

He gave Fett another push with his blaster. The two walked up the set of stairs toward the Emperor's throne, Luke scarcely breathing as his anxiety grew with each step. Fortunately for Luke, the Emperor seemed uninterested in him. His intense eyes were fixated exclusively on Fett.

"It has come to my attention that you attempted to assassinate my apprentice," the Emperor said when they reached the top of the stairs.

"I did," Fett confirmed.

"May I inquire why?"

"Because he deserves to die for what he has done."

The Emperor leaned back in his throne as he considered this response. "Leave us," he commanded, waving his hand. "You too, my apprentice," he added, glancing up at Vader. "I will handle this alone."

"I don't think so," Fett said.

"Excuse me?" the Emperor said in a low voice.

"Your apprentice needs to know the truth, Palpatine," Fett said, taking a step toward the throne.

"What truth?" the Emperor asked, eyes narrowed.

"You hired me ten years ago to perform a job. Lord Vader should know what you asked me to do. Who you asked me to kill."

"I did no such thing," the Emperor growled, standing up out of his throne and pointing a finger at Fett. "These baseless accusations will not be tolerated."

"You hired me to kill his wife, Padmé Amidala," Fett said.

The Emperor snarled at Fett and unleashed a wave of crackling blue electricity toward the bounty hunter. Startled, Luke leapt back when Fett was thrown off his feet. He landed on his back several meters away by the base of the stairs. The Royal Guards activated their staffs, the heads of the weapons humming as they pointed them at Fett's prone form.

"Is this true?" asked Vader. He sounded stunned.

"I would never consort with bounty hunters," the Emperor insisted, hand still raised toward Fett.

"Oh, but you would," Fett said, struggling into a seated position. Ignoring the staffs in his face, Fett got back to his feet and took a step toward the Emperor. "You hired the best bounty hunters in the galaxy to kill her, didn't you? They all failed except me. I told you I took care of your little problem. I told you she was dead."

"Lies!" the Emperor shrieked.

"It was a lie," Fett agreed. "Boba Fett never did kill Padmé Amidala."

The bounty hunter reached up to remove his helmet. A great mane of hair cascaded down his back as he let the helmet fall to the ground with a clang. Luke gasped, laying eyes on Fett's true face for the first time.

"I am Padmé Amidala," she proclaimed.


	10. Aftermath

It all happened so fast.

One moment, Luke's mouth was hanging open as he stared at Fett, or as he knew her now, Padmé. She was an exceptionally beautiful woman. The hints of her age were subtle: slight wrinkling underneath the eyes and a few flecks of grey in her long brown hair.

The moment passed, and Padmé was once again thrown off her feet by a wave of lightning. This time, however, she went soaring down the stairs, landing hard on her back and rolling down to the floor below.

"No!" Luke cried, but his voice was drowned out by an ear-shattering roar.

"You!" Vader bellowed, his thunderous voice causing the room to shake.

Darkness swirled tempestuously and Luke felt a raw terror consume him. He turned away from Padmé's motionless body to see Vader grab the Emperor by the throat. Bolts of electricity sprayed throughout the room as the Emperor desperately tried to fend Vader off. Luke and the two Royal Guards ducked, falling to the ground in order to avoid being hit.

"You told me she died! You lied to me!"

And just like that, it was all over. Raising the Emperor's body high in the air as if he weighed nothing, Vader produced his lightsaber with his offhand and slashed the blade through his foe's midsection. Palpatine's lower half fell to the ground with a sickening thud, but Vader kept his hands gripped around the man's throat. Not wanting to watch, Luke shut his eyes tight. He was too late, however. The horrible image was burned in his mind.

His eyes flew open when he heard the sound of a lightsaber whirring through the air. Looking up, he saw Vader had disposed of the Emperor's body and was now dueling with the two Royal Guards. Luke crawled away, hyperventilating as he tore off his helmet. He staggered to his feet and ran down the stairs toward Padmé.

"Are you okay?" he asked, dropping to his knees by her side.

She opened her eyes a fraction, wincing as she turned to his voice. "Luke," she said. "My son."

Luke inhaled sharply, his jaw slackening as Padmé feebly raised a hand toward his face. "Mother?" he asked, whispering.

"How is she?"

Luke looked up to see Vader looming above them at the top of the stairs, active red lightsaber still in hand. Behind him, Luke could make out the bodies of the two Royal Guards whom he had defeated. He trembled involuntarily, utterly terrified of the man before him.

Taking his lack of response as bad news, Vader deactivated his blade and hurried down the stairs. "Out of my way," he ordered tersely, and Luke scampered away fearfully. "Padmé. Padmé, I –"

"Don't touch me," she said when Vader got down to the ground and made to help her up. Vader froze, his gloved hand inches from Padmé's face. "Don't touch me," she said again through gritted teeth.

Vader hesitated for a moment longer before reaching up to remove his helmet. He set it aside by Padmé's feet. "Padmé, it's me," he said. "It's…" He swallowed hard and glanced momentarily at Luke. "It's Anakin," he said hoarsely.

Padmé shook her head and turned away from him. "I don't… recognize you," she managed to say, her voice slurred.

"We have to get her out of here," Luke said urgently when Vader's mouth fell open in shock. "Father!" he exclaimed, finally managing to gain his attention. "She's hurt."

Vader nodded dazedly. His hands shook as he reached for his helmet and stuffed it back over his head. Ignoring Padmé's incoherent protestations, he scooped up her limp body as he got to his feet.

"My helmet," he heard her mumble, barely conscious.

"You don't need it anymore," Luke said gently.

Padmé sighed and her head lolled backward. Alarmed, Luke stepped forward and propped her back upright, resting her head against Vader's breastplate.

"Lead the way," Vader told him.

Luke nodded and gave Padmé one last concerned look before turning around. He hurried toward the elevator and away from the carnage behind him.

* * *

"How many fingers?"

Han sighed in exasperation and craned his head to the ceiling. "Give it a rest, would you?" 

"Han," Leia said sternly. "How many?"

Han begrudgingly looked back at her and squinted at her fingers. "Two," he said confidently.

"Close enough," Leia muttered, lowering her three fingers.

"I'm telling you, I'm fine," Han insisted for the umpteenth time as Leia rolled her chair back toward his cot. "It'll come back, don't worry."

"You can't be sure of that," Leia said.

Han frowned. "Hey, what's up with you?" he asked, placing a hand on her knee. "You seem upset."

"Of course I'm upset!"

"Because of my vision?" Han asked tentatively.

Leia looked away. "I don't want to talk about it," she said.

"Come on, don't be like that."

"I said I don't want to talk about it, Han," Leia snapped. Surprised, Han removed his hand from her knee and pulled away. "I'm sorry," she said, closing her eyes and taking a breath. "I just –"

Leia stopped talking abruptly when a freezing chill washed over her. For a second, Leia felt as if she was paralyzed, her whole body going rigid as the odious sensation penetrated her core. A searing pain, an all-consuming fear, and a billowing rage all flooded her senses simultaneously.

"Leia? Leia, can you hear me?"

It was gone as soon as it arrived. She exhaled shakily, regaining control over herself. Her whole body was quaking and her skin was clammy with bitterly cold sweat. She squinted as she opened her eyes, pupils dilated in spite of the bright fluorescent lights in the medical tent.

"Leia?"

"I have to go," she said, teeth chattering as she staggered out of her chair and rushed toward the exit.

"Leia! Come back!"

She ignored him, pushing the flap aside and stepping out of the tent. The sun had long since dipped below the horizon and the base was all but abandoned, everyone having gone to bed by now except for a few stragglers on night duty.

"Rex!" she called out, seeing a clone by the signal station with a headset on. "Rex, where's Ahsoka?"

The clone turned to her voice and arched an eyebrow. "I'm not Rex, ma'am," he told her politely.

"Oh," Leia said, reddening with embarrassment. "Well, could you tell me where Ahsoka is?"

"Leia!"

Leia spun to her right to see the Togruta in question walking toward her. "Ahoska!" she cried.

"Leia, are you all right?"

Leia shook her head as she ran toward Ahsoka. "It was so terrible!" she said, shivering as she grabbed onto Ahsoka's forearms. "Oh Ahsoka, I was so afraid!"

"What did you feel?"

"You didn't feel it?" Leia asked.

"I did, but I want to know what you felt."

Leia shut her eyes tight as she struggled to find the appropriate words to describe what had happened. "It was just… so cold," she settled on saying.

"And?"

"I don't know, Ahsoka! I was afraid! Terrified! And angry. I felt… I felt angry."

"Angry? At what?"

"I… I don't know," Leia said, frowning as she looked away.

Ahsoka considered her for a few moments before giving Leia's forearms a squeeze. "That's okay, Leia," she said softly. "I'm asking a lot of you."

"What was that?" Leia asked.

"I'm not sure," Ahsoka said. "But it was big. I haven't felt a disturbance like that since…"

"Since when?"

Ahsoka released Leia and wrapped her arms around herself. "Since the Purge," she said, voice no louder than a whisper.

Unsure of what to say, Leia bit on her lower lip and looked down at her feet. "You don't think… you don't think Luke could be in danger, do you?" she asked after a long silence.

"You tell me," Ahsoka said.

"What?"

"You'd know better than I," Ahsoka elaborated. "You are his sister, after all."

"I… I guess."

"You're bonded to him, Leia. And on top of that, you are extremely attuned to the Force as it is. Far more so than I am."

"I am?"

"How could you not be? You're the Chosen One's daughter."

"The Chosen One?"

Ahsoka smiled wryly. "Let me teach you, Leia," she enjoined her. "You have so much potential!"

"Ahsoka, I told you no already," Leia frowned.

"Why not? You didn't give me a reason." Leia hesitated, not knowing how to explain herself. "Are you afraid of what happened to your father?" Ahsoka asked. "Because if you are, I can guarantee you that –"

"No, it's not that," Leia assured her, flinching at the reference of Vader as her father. "It's just… this isn't for me, Ahsoka. I'm not meant to be a Jedi."

"Why not?"

Once again, Leia felt lost for words.

"You can't suppress who you are, Leia," Ahsoka told her. She gestured toward the lightsaber dangling from Leia's belt. "That right there? That's your destiny."

"Is that so?" Leia asked, crossing her arms in indignation.

"Learn how to use the Force. Become the Jedi you were meant to be!"

"There's no such thing as destiny," Leia said.

"Don't you want to feel powerful? Don't you want to stop being afraid?"

"What are you talking about?"

"Jabba would never have been able to lay a finger on you if you had known how to use your powers."

"We were completely surrounded," Leia pointed out. "No amount of Jedi training would have gotten me out of that situation."

"You severely underestimate the power of the Force, Leia," Ahsoka told her.

"I don't think I do," Leia said, shuddering as she recalled the horrific sensation she had experienced minutes prior.

"Then explain this to me, because I still don't understand."

Leia sighed. "Look, Ahsoka, I appreciate everything you've done for me, but this is my decision. I've told you no already. Why can't you accept that?"

"Because you're making a mistake!" Ahsoka exclaimed. "The Force brought us together, Leia! I have to train you!"

Leia took a half step back as she gave Ahsoka an inquisitive look. "That's not it," she said. "You don't want this for me, you want it for yourself."

"Excuse me?"

"You feel guilty about what happened to Vader so you want a second chance with me to make things right."

Ahsoka blinked rapidly a few times as she internalized this accusation. "Is that such a bad thing?" she asked, not even bothering to deny it.

"He and I are nothing alike, okay?" Leia said, fists clenched. "Nothing!"

"How would you know?"

"I just do!"

"Your emotions blind you, Leia," Ahsoka growled.

"No, you're the one who's blind!" Leia shot back, pointing an accusative finger at her as she backed away. "I'm my own person! You can't make me do anything!"

Ahsoka took a step forward, yet stopped herself from pursuing any further. She sagged her shoulders in dejection and shook her head. "You're right," she said. "I can't make you do anything if you don't want to." Leia stopped backing away, her anger wavering when she saw Ahsoka's expression. "If you're not going to accept my training, I think I should have that lightsaber back," she said, nodding toward the hilt on Leia's belt.

Leia placed a hand on the weapon defensively. "No," she said at once. "It belongs to Luke, not you."

An unpleasant sneer flashed across Ahsoka's face for a fraction of a second, startling Leia who had never seen the Togruta look that way before. "That's what I thought," she said bitterly as she spun around and marched away.

Leia pursed her lips and watched Ahsoka retreat for a few moments. She had stood her ground, but why was she feeling so guilty? Glancing down at her belt, she unclipped the lightsaber and held it up. The sleek metal hilt felt so natural in her hands, the weapon's grooves matching up perfectly with those of her palm. She had seen Luke wield it on many occasions, but Leia herself had never thought much of it until now. As she turned it over, she couldn't help but wonder if she was really making the right choice.

"Of course you are," she told herself, shaking her head as she returned the lightsaber to her belt. Clenching her jaw, Leia looked back up to see that Ahsoka's figure was gone, having disappeared into the trees. She stood there for a moment longer before turning around and walking away in the opposite direction.

* * *

Having carried the unconscious Padmé out of the Imperial Palace, Vader commandeered a speeder and the three departed with haste. Somehow they had managed to avoid any further confrontation with Royal Guards during their escape. The news of the Emperor's death had clearly been confined to his throne room for now.

"What is this place?" Luke asked as Vader parked the speeder alongside a patio which was jutting out from the top of a ritzy apartment complex.

"Somewhere safe," Vader told him. "How is she?"

Luke glanced over at Padmé who was still out cold, her mouth hanging open as she rested her head against Luke's shoulder.

"Breathing," was all Luke felt comfortable with saying.

Vader craned his head to take a look at Padmé in the back seat. "She'll live," he said assuredly. Pushing the door open, Vader got out of the speeder and stepped onto the patio. "Get out," he ordered Luke.

Once he was out of the speeder, Vader leaned down and picked Padmé up a second time. Luke watched curiously, amazed that a man with no limbs could lift someone into the air as if it was nothing.

"The security system," Vader said, throwing Padmé over his shoulder. "It has to be disabled."

"What security system?" Luke asked. The patio seemed wide open.

"I need you to take off my helmet."

"Why?"

"Just do it."

Confused yet nevertheless obedient, Luke stood up on his toes as he struggled to pull Vader's mask off his head.

"Ow! Watch it!" Vader growled.

"Sorry," Luke said, straining to reach. "Could you maybe get lower?" Complying, Vader sighed and bent his knees. "There, that's better," Luke muttered as he clumsily pushed the helmet over Vader's head. Unable to secure it with his left hand, Luke merely let the helmet fall to the ground behind Vader's feet.

"Nicely done," Vader said.

"Thanks," Luke said, deciding to ignore the sarcasm and take the compliment at face value.

Vader took a few steps forward where he came across an inconspicuous stanchion at the base of some stairs. When he pressed his finger to the sensor atop the stanchion, a translucent blue dome suddenly emerged, blocking them from the patio.

"What is this?" Luke asked, eyes widening.

"Shields," Vader explained. "I designed the security system myself. They can't be seen unless they're triggered."

"It's incredible!" Luke exclaimed, gaping at the rippling dome in awe.

" _Access code?_ "

Startled, Luke's head spun toward the stanchion where the mechanical voice had come from. Vader rattled off a series of a dozen or so digits. Once he was done, the shields disappeared and they were permitted entry.

"Follow me," Vader instructed.

"What about your helmet?" Luke asked.

"Leave it," Vader said, traversing the patio toward an open doorway.

"Why did you need me to take it off in the first place?" Luke asked, hurrying after him.

"The security system only responds to my unaltered voice," Vader explained. "I'm the only one who can access this place."

"And what is this place, exactly?" Luke asked once again.

Vader didn't answer his question. Leaving the patio, they made their way into an elegant living room. In contrast to Vader's quarters on the _Executor,_ this room was tastefully furnished. Despite that, however, Luke could see that every table, chair, and surface was coated in a thin layering of dust.

"Wait here," Vader told him, gesturing to a yellow couch with his free hand. "I'll bring her to her room."

"Her room?" Luke repeated, perplexed. Padmé had her own room in this place? How could that be?

Vader of course didn't elucidate as he walked away down a corridor to the left with Padmé still draped over his shoulder. Luke frowned as he watched him walk away. Vader must have been prepared for something like this to happen. This security this safe house provided was unparalleled.

Luke rubbed his eyes and plodded over toward the couch. He had yet to wrap his head around everything that had happened in the past hour. Was it really true that Fett had been his mother all along? Based on Vader's reaction, Luke could be fairly sure that Padmé really was who she said she was. But that presented so many questions which he hadn't the faintest idea how to answer.

Vader returned a few minutes later. His face was ashen and he seemed unable to make eye contact with Luke.

"How is she?" Luke asked, standing up off the couch.

Vader glanced up at him and blinked a few times. "She probably has a concussion," he said dazedly. "I'll bring a med droid when I get back."

"Where are you going?"

"There's some pain medication in the kitchen," Vader said, ignoring Luke's question. "It's in a little red vial in the drawer next to the fridge. Make sure she takes some when she wakes."

"But –"

"I'll be back as soon as I can. Keep her company until then."

"Wait!"

Vader had one foot out the door leading to the patio when he stopped.

"You're not going to explain this to me?" Luke asked.

Vader shook his head. "I can't explain it," he said. With that, Vader walked out the door and left.


	11. Back in the Cage

Luke had been waiting by Padmé's bedside for nearly two hours when she finally awoke. He was seated on a stool which he had dragged in from the kitchen, tapping his fingertips together anxiously as he waited. When he saw her stirring, he leapt to his feet and scooped up the red vial of pain pills off the end table.

"Take it easy," he whispered as Padmé tried to sit upright. She groaned, kneading her temples with her fingers. "Here," he said, opening the vial and dropping two capsules into his palm. "These will help."

Padmé squinted as she looked up at him. "Anakin?" she asked groggily.

"Take these," he said, not bothering to correct her. "Do you want water?"

Padmé nodded, accepting the pills and clasping them tightly in her fist. "It's so… bright," she said, holding her other hand to her eyes as Luke picked up a glass of water from the end table and handed it to her.

"Sorry," Luke said. "I'll close the blinds."

He turned his back on her as he walked over toward the proud windows on the west end of the bedroom. The sun was beginning to dip below the horizon, and the late afternoon light was flooding the room.

"How's that?" Luke asked, closing the last blind. "Better?"

Turning back around, he saw Padmé had set the glass aside and was looking back at him with a curious expression. "How did I get here?" she asked him.

"Vader brought us after… well, after it happened," he said, walking back toward her. He hesitated for a second before electing to sit down on the foot of the bed. Padmé looked down as she ran her hand across the soft purple blanket. "How are you feeling?" Luke asked.

"Horrid," she admitted.

Luke nodded. He waited for a few long moments before speaking. "You, um… you don't have to answer if you're not feeling up to it, but –"

"You want answers," Padmé interrupted bluntly. Luke's eyes darted back up to meet hers. "It's okay, Luke," she reassured him. "I understand."

"I just want to know one thing," Luke said.

"What would that be?"

Luke paused, enraptured by Padmé's face just like he had been with Vader's. "You're my mother," he said. It was hardly even a question. He knew the answer, he just craved affirmation.

"I am," she confirmed.

Luke smiled tentatively, and Padmé reciprocated with the same hesitation. Before he knew what he was doing, Luke scooted forward and wrapped his arms around her. Padmé was clearly startled, her whole body stiffening at the unexpected hug.

"I'm sorry," Luke said, pulling away quickly. "I just –"

"Don't apologize," Padmé said, her smile widening.

Luke considered this for a moment before nodding. "Okay," he said, leaning forward to hug her a second time. This time Padmé returned his embrace. Her hand cradled the back of his head as she rested her face against his collarbone. Luke found himself tearing up as unanticipated emotion bubbled up to the surface.

His whole life, Luke had dreamed of his father and idolized the man despite never knowing hardly anything about him. His mother, however, had never captured his imagination in that way. Why that might be, Luke didn't know, but none of that mattered now. In his mother's arms, he realized that some part of him had been incomplete until now. Some part of him had always yearned to be reunited with her.

After about a minute, Luke pulled away. He wiped his eyes with the back of his hand and looked toward the windows, not wanting to reveal that he had been crying. His secrecy was in vain, however.

"Luke," his mother said, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Don't cry."

"I… I'm sorry," Luke said, recomposing himself. He turned back to her, his lower lip trembling slightly. "Why… where…?"

"Where have I been your whole life?" Padmé provided for him. Luke nodded and sniffled. "It's a long story, Luke, but believe me when I say I never wanted to be separated from you. Never."

"Then why?"

Padmé was about to answer when she stopped. Her expression hardened as she looked up at something beyond Luke. Spinning around, Luke saw Vader's hulking figure standing in the doorway. He had evidently returned with neither of them hearing.

Vader and Padmé stared at each other silently for a few tense moments. Luke glanced back and forth, irrationally fearing for his father because of how vicious Padmé's expression was. "How are you feeling?" Vader finally asked.

"Take off that mask," Padmé commanded, her voice laden with steel.

A long silence passed as Vader considered this request. Luke held his breath, fearing that Vader would take offense to Padmé's tone. Finally, however, Vader reached up and took off his mask with two hands. Brushing his hair out of his face, Vader took two steps toward the windows and set his mask down on top of a quaint wooden credenza.

"Why did you take me here?" Padmé asked.

"Would you prefer it if I took you back to my ship?"

"I'd rather you not keep me as your prisoner."

"You're not my prisoner," Vader said.

"Then can I leave?"

"You're not well."

"I feel fine."

"You're obviously not. I had to carry you here."

"Why do you care how I am? My wellbeing has never been a concern of yours before."

Luke inhaled sharply at this comment while Vader flinched. Clenching his jaw, Vader looked away toward the door.

"Could you two maybe not fight?" Luke interjected, hoping to ameliorate the tension. "Clearly we just need to… talk things through."

"I don't want to talk with him," Padmé said petulantly.

"Why not?"

Padmé replicated Vader, looking away as she gnashed her teeth. Fearing that he had only made things worse, Luke turned to Vader.

"Where did you go?" he asked him, electing to divert the conversation.

"To the Senate," he said.

"I thought the Senate was dissolved?"

"The body, yes. The building, no."

"Oh," Luke said, feeling slightly foolish.

"I informed the Moffs that the Emperor has passed," Vader said.

"And I assume you intend to seize power?" Padmé asked bitingly.

"I don't know what I intend," Vader said. "I was hoping you might be able to help me decide."

Padmé snorted derisively and shook her head. Luke winced at her hostility. He didn't understand why she hated him so much. Sure, he could appreciate that Vader had done some bad things, but at the moment he was acting entirely sincere and considerate.

"How about I go make you some tea?" Vader suggested after an awkward silence.

Caught off guard by this offer, Padmé blinked a few times before responding. "No," she said.

Vader considered her for a few moments before walking toward the door. "I'll make some anyway," he mumbled.

"I told you no."

"Just let him," Luke requested, placing a hand on his mother's knee.

Padmé's expression softened as she looked away from Vader toward him. "Fine," she conceded after a moment's hesitation.

"I'll be right back," Vader said, sounding thoroughly crestfallen. Once he was gone, Luke stood up off the bed and walked over to close the door.

"Why did you have to do that?" he asked, spinning back toward Padmé. "He just wants to help."

"You and I have to get away from that man," she told him, voice trembling. "He's a monster, Luke. You don't know what he's done."

"Then tell me."

Padmé opened her mouth to speak yet quickly closed it again. "It's best if you don't know," she said.

Luke sighed. Walking back to the bed, he loomed over his mother for a second before sitting down. She looked tiny in this enormous bed. All that Mandalorian armor must have puffed her up, because Luke hadn't appreciated how small Fett had been until now.

"Hate him all you want, but at least don't lie to him," he asked of her. "You're not fine at all. You most likely have a concussion."

"Nothing I haven't handled before on my own," Padmé told him.

"Just let him help you," he implored. "It's clear he cares about you."

Padmé laughed humorlessly at this. "He doesn't care about me," she said, voice rife with vitriol. "He might think he does, but he's mistaken."

Luke looked down at his lap, having no idea how to respond to this. He knew he was missing a lot of information, but he couldn't help but feel like Padmé was being unfair to Vader. What could he have possibly done to her to make her despise him so thoroughly? Not even Luke had hated the man this much back when he thought he had killed his father.

Mother and son sat in silence as they listened to the sounds of Vader making tea in the kitchen. A soft clink was followed by footsteps and soon Vader had returned, a dainty cup atop a porcelain saucer in hand. The sight was truly bizarre.

"I added a dollop of honey," he said, approaching the bed. "That's how you like it, right?"

Padmé crossed her arms and refused to look at him.

"I'll just leave this here," Vader said, setting the cup down on the end table.

"You should drink it," Luke advised when it became clear Padmé wasn't going to accept the offering. "It'll help with your headache."

Padmé begrudgingly looked over at the cup. "Fine," she said, reaching out and picking it up off the saucer. She sniffed the tea before taking a tentative sip.

"How is it?" Vader asked, sitting down on the stool to the left of the bed.

"It's alright," Padmé mumbled.

"I haven't had anyone to make tea for in a long time," Vader said, smiling wanly.

An awkward moment passed as Padmé stared determinedly into the contents of her cup. Luke glanced back and forth between his two parents, waiting for one of them to speak. Finally, it was Vader who summoned his courage and broke the silence.

"I think it's time you gave us an explanation," he said.

"Is that so?" Padmé asked, looking up from her tea.

"Does your son not deserve to know where you've been for the past twenty-one years?"

Padmé narrowed her eyes, aggrieved by Vader's tactic. "Of course he does," she said. "You, on the other hand –"

"I'd tell him everything you tell me," Luke interjected much to Padmé's surprise. "You might as well just tell us both."

"Luke –"

"I mean it."

Padmé frowned, but she didn't offer any further objection. Setting her tea aside with a sigh, she rubbed her forehead with the palms of her hands.

"It's a long story," she prefaced.

"We've got plenty of time," said Vader.

Padmé gave him a sour look. "Will you allow me to leave after I've told you everything?"

"Where would you go?"

"Away from you."

Vader pursed his lips and shook his head. "I can't allow that," he said. "I'm not going to lose you again."

"So I am your prisoner?"

"No, you're my wife."

"You can't keep me here against my will!" Padmé exploded, pointing a finger at Vader.

"Mom," Luke said, placing a hand on her shoulder. Startled, Padmé's vehemence dissipated as she spun her head back to him. "Please."

Padmé exhaled as she bowed her head. "I'm sorry, Luke," she said. "You do deserve to know."

Luke held up a warning hand to stop Vader from speaking. "You can just talk to me," he suggested. "Pretend he isn't even here."

Padmé considered this for a few moments. "Alright," she said eventually.

"So where do you want to start?" Luke asked, realizing how much ground they had to cover. Luke didn't know the first thing about his mother, and that saddened him immensely.

"I suppose I'll start from the beginning," Padmé said. She took a deep breath before starting. "My full name is Padmé Naberrie, although most knew of me as Padmé Amidala. I was born on Naboo and elected queen of the planet when I was fourteen years old."

"You're a queen?" Luke asked, astonished.

"I was," Padmé corrected with a wry smile. "After I finished my second term, I stepped down from the position. My successor appointed me senator, so I moved to Coruscant to represent my planet. While I was there, the Clone Wars began and I helped lead the pro-peace faction."

Luke nodded slowly. He felt as if Padmé was glossing over a lot of relevant details – such as how she and Vader met, for example – but he chose not to interrupt her. Perhaps she would get to that.

"The war was nearing its end when I became pregnant," she continued. "There was a bit of scandal because the public didn't know I was married."

"Why not?" Luke asked.

Padmé bit her tongue and looked away. She clearly didn't want to talk about her relationship with Vader.

"The Jedi forbade attachments," Vader explained on her behalf. "If it became known that we were married, I would have been expelled from the Jedi Order."

"That's horrible!" Luke said, turning toward his father. "Why would they ever have such a rule?"

Vader's expression turned stormy. Rather than explaining, however, he shook his head and gestured to Padmé. "Let your mother finish her story," he said.

"Do you really want me to finish?" Padmé asked. "Do you really want him to know?" Vader squirmed in his stool and didn't respond. "Your father and I had a disagreement," Padmé said, returning her attention to Luke. "He chose to support the Chancellor's power grab and I did not."

Luke blinked a few times as he processed this vague statement. "So that's why you… why you don't like each other?" he asked, stopping himself from saying that they hated each other. It may be true, but he'd rather it not be.

"That's part of it," Padmé shrugged. "Regardless, we were unable to... reconcile. I gave birth soon thereafter. Obi-Wan took you and… he took you away from me."

"Why would he do that?" Luke asked, eyes widening.

"Because the Emperor came to collect his pet," Padmé said with savage bitterness. "He learned what had happened to him and he came to rescue him. That's when he found me."

"Padmé, I had no idea –" Vader began to say, but she cut him off.

"He took me prisoner," she said in a hollow voice. "For four years, I was all alone."

Luke held a hand to his mouth in horror. He glanced over at Vader who was trembling with rage, his hands balled into fists and his jaw clenched.

"He told me you were dead. That Obi-Wan's ship was shot down when he tried to escape. I believed him." Padmé took a shaky breath as she bowed her head. "I wanted to die. But I needed revenge more. That's what kept me sane in that cell. That's what kept me alive."

"How did you escape?" Luke asked.

"A Rebel agent was thrown into my cell one afternoon. He had been driven half insane from torture, but he hadn't given them any information. For the Rebels, however, it was too much of a risk to let him live. They knew the moment Vader got his hands on him, he would break."

Luke gulped, having nearly forgotten about Vader's notorious reputation. He had been told by his Rebel peers that it was better to kill yourself than allow Vader to interrogate you.

"They sent an elite clone unit to infiltrate the facility and eliminate the agent. The plan had been to crawl through the air vents and gas the cell with a poisonous substance. I would have died as well, of course, and I nearly did had the leader of the unit not halted the operation."

"But I thought the clones sided with the Empire?" Luke said.

"Most of them did. A select few did not. Rex was one of those who devoted himself to the Rebellion's cause."

"And he rescued you?"

"He did."

"What happened to the other guy?"

"What other guy?"

"The other guy in the cell. What happened to him?"

"They killed him."

"They did? Why?"

"He was too far gone to be helped," Padmé said. "Besides, he would have been too hard to get out."

Luke paused, taken aback by her nonchalance. "Where did you go from there?" he asked.

"Into hiding. We knew that the Emperor would do anything to try and find me."

"But why would he hire bounty hunters?" Luke asked. "Surely he could have relied on more reliable operatives?"

"He could have, but I suspect he wanted to keep this operation out of the official channels lest Vader learned about what he was up to."

Luke nodded, remembering how frantic Palpatine had been about denying his knowledge of Fett. He must have known how furious Vader would have been.

"We moved from base to base, always one step ahead of the bounty hunters. But five years ago, one finally caught up to us."

"Fett," Luke said.

"He was a cunning one. He somehow uncovered the location of our base and infiltrated it without anyone knowing. He gagged me while I was sleeping and nearly got me onto his ship when she saved me."

"She?"

"Ahsoka," she elaborated. "I believe you saw her back on Tatooine."

"The Togruta?"

"The very same. She killed Fett and rescued me. We had been compromised, however. We knew that if Fett suddenly went silent, the Emperor would figure out what happened."

"So you assumed his identity," Luke said. The pieces were beginning to fall into place for him now.

"I did," Padmé confirmed. She paused to look at the armor which was in a pile in the corner of the room. "It's funny," she mused. "I escaped that cage, but I never really left it. When I put that helmet on for the first time, though… I was free. When I became Fett, I regained my dignity, in a way. I was alive again."

Everything suddenly made sense to him. He understood why she was so upset and so afraid. Vader had taken away her mask and refused to let her leave. In her mind, she was back in the cage.

"Of course it wasn't real," Padmé sighed. "I wanted to be Fett, but I could never escape myself. My life was ruined. My son was dead, or so I thought. I lived aimlessly, embracing Fett's identity as my own as best I could. It all changed when I was offered an assignment by Darth Vader himself. Rex and Ahsoka begged me not to accept it, but I didn't see any reason to be cautious. I was curious, I suppose. I wanted to see him for myself. I wanted to see what he had become."

She stopped to rub her forehead, grimacing as she did so. All this talking must have been causing her some discomfort. Luke probably should have suggested that she take a break, but he was too curious. Too selfish.

"What happened?" he asked.

"He told me that he was after a young man named Luke Skywalker," she said, her grimace morphing into a strained smile. She looked up to meet his gaze, her eyes twinkling. "I was so stunned. The moment I heard that name, I found myself again. I regained that purpose which had been missing for twenty years. My son was alive and I was going to do anything in my power to find him."

Returning her smile, Luke reached out and placed his hand atop hers. Touched by this gesture, Padmé's eyes watered up. Wiping at them with her other hand, she regained her composure before resuming.

"I teamed up with your friend, the Princess," she said. "The plan was to divert you away from Vader, but it didn't work. I suppose you know the rest."

"It worked out in the end though, didn't it?" Luke said. "We're together now."

Padmé's teary eyes darkened as she glanced over at Vader. "At a cost," she said.


	12. Hostage Call

"Ahsoka? Ahsoka, are you in there?"

Leia had woken up early that morning and was unable to fall back asleep. She had tossed and turned for an hour before getting up and marching off to Ahsoka's tent. She felt terrible about how things had gone between them last night.

After a minute, Ahsoka poked her head out of the tent. She looked as if she had just woken up, the heavy bags under her eyes and haggard appearance suggesting that she too had had a rough night.

"Leia?" she asked. "What time is it?"

"Early."

Ahsoka rubbed her eyes as she unzipped the entrance to her tent and stepped out. "What do you want?" she asked.

"I wanted to apologize," Leia said. "I was unfair to you last night."

Ahsoka narrowed her eyes as she considered this. "I take it you haven't changed your mind?" 

Leia sighed. "No, I haven't." 

Nodding, Ahsoka crossed her arms and looked away. "I, uh… I'm gonna go get some caf from the mess," she said. "You want some?"

Leia blinked a few times, bemused by the offer. "Um… no, that's fine," she said. "Thank you, though."

"Stay here," Ahsoka told her. "I'll be right back."

Leia frowned as she watched the Togruta walk away. Clearly she hadn't given up convincing her to accept her training, otherwise she wouldn't have asked her to stay. Why couldn't she just take no for an answer? Leia had made up her mind. That should be enough for her.

A buzzing sound suddenly emerged from Ahsoka's tent. Leia glanced through the opening, yet couldn't see the source. It was probably just her comlink, she figured. There was no reason for her to poke her nose in Ahsoka's business.

But then again…

Before she knew what she was doing, Leia was pushing the flap aside and stepping into the tent. Her eyes gravitated toward a brown satchel lying atop the chest next to Ahsoka's mattress. Something inside was vibrating, the sound amplified by the wooden surface of the chest. Getting down onto her knees, Leia undid the buckle of the satchel and reached inside. Her fingers found a holoprojector. Pulling it out, she set it down on the mattress and considered her options. Should she answer it? Logically, she knew she shouldn't.

And yet she did it anyway. What had gotten into her? She wasn't normally this petty!

Pressing the circular button at the base of the holoprojector, Leia leaned back as a blue projection erupted from the device.

" _Leia?_ "

"I'm sorry, do I know you?"

A middle-aged woman was looking back at her. Her hair was unkempt and her eyelids were sagging with exhaustion, yet Leia could tell in spite of this that she was exceptionally beautiful. She could safely say she had never seen this person before, yet something about her seemed familiar.

" _Where's Ahsoka?_ " the woman asked, whispering.

"She'll be right back," Leia told her. "I can take a message if you want."

The woman hesitated for a few moments before shaking her head. " _No, I… I need to talk to her directly,_ " she said. " _It's urgent._ "

"Who are you?" Leia asked.

" _I, uh…_ "

Leia's head spun away from the projection when she heard someone enter the tent. "This caf tastes like dirt," Ahsoka said, wrinkling her nose as she zipped the door closed behind her. "It's a good thing I didn't get you any, princess. I think I might have to –" She stopped talking abruptly when she turned away from the door and saw the woman in the projection. "Padmé?" she said, the mug of caf falling out of her hand and crashing to the floor.

"Hey!" Leia exclaimed, leaping to her feet as the pool of caf spread toward her feet. Leia froze, however, when she made a realization. "Wait," she said, eyes widening. "This is –"

"Leia, you should leave," Ahsoka said, hands shaking as she removed her shawl and leaned down to clean up the spilled caf. "Aw, shit," she said, standing back upright. "Why did I do that? This was my good shirt!"

"Your name is Padmé?" Leia asked the projection.

" _I… I…_ "

"Leia. Leave," Ahsoka ordered.

"I can't believe you!" Leia cried, spinning to Ahsoka. "You told me she was dead! You lied to me!"

Ahsoka dropped her sullied shawl and held her hands up in surrender. "I… no… you don't understand…" she stammered.

"You're Padmé Amidala!" Leia said, turning back to the projection. "You're alive!"

Padmé seemed lost for words, her eyes darting back and forth between Ahsoka and Leia.

"Leia, you really need to leave," Ahsoka told her for a third time.

"No way!"

"I will remove you forcibly if you don't leave right now."

"How dare you!"

"Leia, this is your last warning."

"Go ahead, do it!" Leia challenged, producing the lightsaber from her belt. She had no idea what she was doing, but it felt right. "Make me leave!"

Ahsoka eyed the lightsaber warily as she raised her hands. "Leia, calm down," she said.

"Calm down? Don't tell me to calm down!" Leia pointed the lightsaber to Padmé's projection. "You lied to me!"

" _Leia, stop!_ " Padmé pleaded. " _You need to listen to Ahsoka._ "

"You too?" Leia asked, aghast. "I have a right to speak to my own mother!"

Padmé's eyes widened in astonishment. " _You told her?_ " she asked Ahsoka. " _How did you even know?_ "

"It really wasn't that hard to figure out," Ahsoka said. "You told me you had twins, remember?"

" _But… Ahsoka, how could you? Do you have any idea how dangerous –_ "

"I tried, believe me. Leia forced the truth out of me."

"But you lied!" Leia said once again. "You told me she was dead!"

"I didn't tell you that," Ahsoka said. "That's what you assumed."

Leia sputtered at this, realizing that Ahsoka was technically correct. "But you didn't tell me you knew she was alive!" she said, regaining her voice. "You didn't tell me that you were in contact with her!"

"Leia –"

" _I need you both to shut up right now,_ " Padmé interjected suddenly. Leia and Ahsoka both swiveled their heads toward her projection. " _Keep silent,_ " she whispered before covering the projector with her hand.

Just then, Leia heard a familiar, albeit muted voice. " _I made you some breakfast._ " Leia held a hand to her mouth to stop herself from gasping. That was Luke's voice!

" _I, uh… I'm not hungry,_ " Padmé responded.

" _But you haven't had anything to eat in days,_ " Luke said, his voice laced with concern. " _Are you sure_ –"

" _It's alright, Luke, you can just leave it there. I was just about to step in the shower._ "

" _Oh, okay._ "

" _Thank you, though. That was very sweet of you._ "

" _It was nothing, really._ "

A few moments passed before Padmé's face returned after she removed her hand from the projector. " _Okay, he's gone,_ " she said.

"Luke's with you?" Leia asked. "Where are you?"

" _Look, there's not much time,_ " Padmé said. " _Luke and I are being held hostage by Vader on Coruscant. Ahsoka, I need you to rescue me again._ "

"Where on Coruscant?"

" _In my old apartment. Do you remember it?_ "

"I do, but Padmé, there's no way I could get there. Tatooine is one thing, but I can't go to Imperial Center. I'll be killed!"

" _Ahsoka, you have to do something! He's keeping me prisoner!_ "

"Has he hurt you?"

" _Pardon?_ "

"Anakin? Has he hurt you?"

Padmé hesitated for a moment before answering. " _As a matter of fact, he has,_ " she said. " _See this bruise?_ " she asked, pointing to her forehead.

"He hit you?" Leia asked, aghast.

" _Gave me a concussion,_ " Padmé said with a bob of her head. " _He's dangerous, Ahsoka. You have to get me out of this._ "

"Padmé, I –"

" _Someone's coming!_ _I've got to go._ "

Just like that, the feed cut out and the holoprojector dimmed. Ahsoka and Leia stood in stunned silence for a few moments, each one of them staring blankly at the point where Padmé's face had just been projected.

"How did he get his hands on her?" Leia asked finally. Her voice was hoarse and her fingers were trembling. "I… I don't understand. None of this makes any sense."

"Take a walk with me," Ahsoka said. "I mean it," she added when Leia frowned.

Leia considered the deactivated holoprojector for a second longer before following after Ahsoka out of the tent.

"Are you going to explain all this, or are you going to keep hiding things from me?" Leia asked as Ahsoka led her away from the tent and down a winding dirt trail into the woods. "I have a right to know what's going on!"

Ahsoka didn't respond, sighing as she stepped off the trail and over a root. She kneeled down toward a wooden barrel at the base of a tree. Wringing out her caf-stained shawl, Ahsoka grimaced as she watched the brown liquid trickle out.

"I'm never going to get this stain out," she grumbled.

"Are you even listening to me?" Leia asked, stomping her foot.

Ahsoka glanced up at her briefly before stuffing the shawl into the barrel. She swirled it about in the sudsy water for a few moments before standing upright and wringing it out a second time. Leia was too indignant to speak as she watched Ahsoka continue to ignore her, walking over toward a clothesline which was suspended between two trees and tossing her sopping shawl atop it.

"You have every right to be upset with me," Ahsoka said finally, her back still facing Leia. "I withheld the truth from you, and for that I do apologize. But you have to understand that –"

"That you did it to protect me?" Leia interjected.

"Yes, Leia, that's exactly why I did it," Ahsoka said, spinning around and pointing a finger at her.

"You don't have to protect me!" Leia insisted in exasperation. "I can look out for myself."

"No, you cannot," Ahsoka said. "Not from these people."

"These people? What do you mean 'these people'?"

"Your parents are dangerous, Leia," Ahsoka told her ominously.

"My mother isn't dangerous, she's a victim!"

"Are you sure of that?"

"Of course I am! You heard what she said!"

"You don't know what you're talking about. You don't know her like I do."

"Oh no? Then please enlighten me."

"You want to know how Vader got his hands on your mother? You want to know how she got captured?"

Leia furrowed her brow in confusion. What was Ahsoka getting at?

"She tried to kill him, Leia!" Ahsoka exclaimed, gesticulating wildly with her hands. "You saw it happen on Bespin. She despises him so thoroughly that she wants nothing more than his death."

"She… what?"

"Boba Fett! You were with her the whole time, you just didn't know it."

Leia's eyes widened in disbelief. "Wait –"

"She's deranged, Leia," Ahsoka told her. "She spent four years behind bars, and she's never been the same since. You can't trust a word she says."

"Boba Fett is my mother?" Leia asked. Her head was spinning as she processed this information. That… that couldn't be true. Fett? That rude and caustic man had been her mother? No, that wasn't right. Surely not…

"She's trying to manipulate you," Ahsoka said. "You can't listen to her."

"How is she manipulating me?" Leia asked, indignant on her mother's behalf. "She's in danger! We have to help her!"

"She's lying, Leia! Anakin would never lay a finger on her!"

"How do you know that?"

"He didn't touch you on the Death Star just because you looked like her! Anakin would never hurt Padmé. He simply wouldn't. And yet she claims that he tried to strangle her to death twenty years ago, and now she says he hit her! It's not true, Leia! It can't possibly be true!"

Leia narrowed her eyes at the desperation in Ahsoka's tone. "He strangled her?" she asked in a low voice.

"It's a lie, Leia!"

"The only lie is the one you're telling yourself," Leia snapped.

"Excuse me?"

"You're so attached to this Anakin person that you refuse to see that you were wrong about him all along!"

"I'm not wrong!"

"He's a monster! Vader's evil, Ahsoka! How can you not see that?"

Ahsoka shook her head obstinately. "You don't – " she began to say, but Leia cut her off.

"I don't know what I'm talking about? You think I can't see what's really going on here? I see a woman who's being abused by her husband and another who's too deluded to see that it's happening!"

Ahsoka's cheeks flushed with indignation. "I am not deluded," she said.

"Then prove it."

"Prove it? How?"

"If you think Vader is so reasonable, why don't you go to Imperial Center and talk to him yourself?"

Ahsoka scoffed at this proposition. "Don't be ridiculous," she said.

"Why not? Because he seems like a real stand-up guy according to you."

"I never said that."

"So you're a coward then?"

"What?"

"If you don't want to save my mother's life, just say it! Don't pretend like she's lying in order to justify not doing anything."

"I'm not justifying anything. I'm just telling you the truth."

"The truth?" Leia repeated, getting more and more worked up with each one of Ahsoka's comments. "Did you not see that bruise? Did you not see how disheveled she looked? How can you say she's lying?"

Ahsoka opened her mouth to defend herself, but evidently thought better of it. "I don't know what you want me to do, Leia," she said.

"Save her!" Leia yelled.

"I can't do that. You know I can't."

Leia snarled at her. "Then I'll do it myself," she said.

"Leia, no –"

"I'm not going to let Vader keep her and Luke prisoner!"

Ahsoka grit her teeth and looked away, visibly frustrated with Leia's insistence. "I can't let you do that, Leia," she said.

"How are you going to stop me?" Leia asked. "Keep me prisoner like Vader?"

"No," Ahsoka said icily. "I'm not going to do that."

"Then what?"

Ahsoka sighed and clasped her hands together. "I'm going to train you," she said.

Caught off guard, Leia was rendered speechless for a few moments. "You're going to what?" she asked.

"If you really want to do this, I'm not going to let you go in without any training," Ahsoka explained. "Vader will see you coming from parsecs away otherwise."

Leia felt her anger ebb away as she considered this. Was Ahsoka manipulating her? She wanted Leia to accept her training, but not for this reason. It seemed like she genuinely wanted to help her. Or maybe she just wanted to minimize the chance Leia would get caught by Vader. Either way, her intentions seemed far from duplicitous.

"If I do this, can you guarantee that I'll be able to save them?" Leia asked.

"Of course not," Ahsoka said. "I can't guarantee you anything, Leia. What I can say is that you don't stand a chance without my training. For example, if you don't know how to shield yourself, Vader will detect your Force presence right away. And if you don't know how to fight, you won't be able to escape if you do get detected."

"I know how to fight!" Leia insisted.

"With a blaster, sure, but not with that," Ahsoka said, gesturing to the lightsaber which was still in Leia's right hand.

She glanced down at the hilt and contemplated the weapon for a moment. "I… I don't know," she said, clutching her lightsaber so tightly that her knuckles turned white.

"You want to rescue your mother and brother? This is the way to do it."

Leia looked up from the hilt and met Ahsoka's sincere gaze. "Alright," she said with a nod. "I'll do it."


	13. Choices

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Happy Star Wars Day, everybody!

_One week later_

Luke was seated cross-legged on the patio, eyes closed and hands rested on his knees. He inhaled deeply, straightened his back, and held the pose.

One…

Two…

Three…

Exhale.

It was chilly that night. He shivered as a brisk gust of wind caused goosebumps to flare up and down his bare arms. Luke grit his teeth, attempting to suppress the sensation and imbue himself in the Force around him.

He inhaled.

One…

Two…

He couldn't focus! Frustrated, Luke dug his fingernails into his knees and tried again.

One…

"Luke?"

His eyes flew open, concentration shattered. The chill he had been fending off until now returned with a vengeance, penetrating his core and coursing through his limbs.

"What are you doing out here? It's freezing!"

Luke craned his head to see his mother standing above him at the top of the short flight of stairs. She was wearing nothing but a silken nightgown and a thin shawl. Half of her face was illuminated by the bright city lights, whereas the other half was shrouded in shadow.

"I couldn't sleep," Luke confessed.

"Well why don't you come inside?" Padmé suggested, her teeth chattering loudly.

Luke nodded. "I'll be right there," he said. "Just give me a moment."

Padmé frowned but nevertheless didn't object. Wrapping her shawl around her shoulders tighter, she turned around and walked away back toward the apartment. Luke sighed returned his attention to the night sky. It was well after midnight, yet the skyline of Imperial Center was as busy as ever. Speeders of all shapes and sizes zipped about in the air lanes above and below him.

Out of the corner of his eye, Luke saw an odd distortion. Along the corners of the veranda, the image was undulating in a peculiar way. That must be the shields. As well as being invisible to anyone on the outside, the shields kept anyone on the inside invisible to the outside world. He understood Vader's disposition toward caution, but Luke was more and more able to see his mother's point of view. If Vader wasn't allowing them to leave, were they not his prisoners in a way?

A week had passed since Vader had brought him and Padmé to this safe house. In that time, Luke had seen hardly anything of his father. He stopped by occasionally, but never for any longer than an hour. Whenever Luke asked him where he had been, Vader would only answer in the abstract. He was at the Senate, he would say, or on his ship, perhaps. Never did he say what he was doing, and never did he give Luke an inkling into when they might be able to leave the safe house.

Unable to bear the cold any longer, Luke stood up and hurried up the stairs and toward the hallway. Returning to the apartment, Luke rubbed his hands together and waited for the shivering to abate before continuing on toward the living room.

Seated on the couch opposite the one Luke used as his bed was his mother. She was basked in silver moonlight, giving her an ethereal glow in the otherwise muted room. As he approached, she looked up and smiled weakly.

"Hey," she said.

"Hey," Luke said right back.

Picking up the blanket off the opposite couch, Luke folded it once before setting it down over the arm rest. Taking a seat, Luke arched an eyebrow when he saw Padmé's curious expression. "What?" he asked.

"Oh, it's nothing," she said, waving a hand. "You just remind me of myself, that's all."

"Oh yeah, how's that?" Luke asked, brimming with delight.

"Clean freaks, the both of us," Padmé said with a chuckle. "Your father would never."

Luke's brow shot up at this comment. Padmé too seemed to falter when she realized what she had said, her smile cracking as a pained expression passed her face.

He and his mother had talked a great deal over the past week – they didn't have anything else to do, anyway. They spent the time to good use, becoming acquainted with one another after twenty-one years of separation. Luke learned about his mother's family, about her career, and about who she was as a person. In turn, Luke had told her all about his life on Tatooine and his role in the Rebellion. They talked for hours on end, absolutely enraptured with one another's stories and enthralled with each other's presence.

Not once, however, did either of them dare to discuss Vader. His presence loomed over them like a shadow: always present yet never addressed.

"What went wrong between you two?" Luke ventured cautiously.

"If you knew, would you really be satisfied?"

"What do you mean?" Luke asked, frowning.

"You'd try to fix it," she said. "I know you would."

"What's wrong with that?"

"You can't salvage the unsalvageable, Luke," Padmé told him. "It's best to let dead things lie."

Luke bowed his head and looked down at his feet. It always upset him to hear his mother speak that way about Vader.

"Let me ask you something," Padmé said. "If you could get out of this place tomorrow morning, where would you go?"

Luke looked back up at her. "Where would I go?" he repeated.

"You could go anywhere in the galaxy. Where would you go?"

"I… I don't know," Luke said. Ever since learning that Vader was his father, Luke hadn't spent any time to think about the future. It was far too hazy for him to even bother contemplating.

"Let me phrase it in a different way," Padmé said, her tone severe. "Who would you choose? Me or him?" When Luke didn't respond, Padmé leaned forward, her features darkening as she dipped out of the moonlight. "With him, you'll never be anything more than his prisoner. His possession. His pet."

"That's not true," Luke protested feebly.

"He doesn't care about you, Luke," Padmé told him. "Not like I do."

"Of course he cares about me!" Luke insisted.

"He cares about you like he cares about his lightsaber: as a tool." Luke opened his mouth to object, but Padmé didn't allow him to interject. "I love you because you are my son," she said. Luke fell silent at this remark, relishing those three little words which no one had ever said to him before. "But Vader? He doesn't love you. He's not capable of it. The fact that you are his own flesh and blood is irrelevant to him."

Luke shook his head, refusing to believe this. "You're wrong," he said brazenly.

Padmé tilted her head at this comment. "Is that so?" 

Luke gulped, unnerved by the glint in her narrowed eyes. He stood his ground, however. "He cares about both of us," he said. "You may not want to see it, but he obviously does."

Padmé considered this for a few moments before leaning back into the light. "If that's how you feel," she said, straightening out her gown before standing up.

"Mom –"

"Get some sleep, Luke," she told him. "It's late."

Padmé stormed away without giving Luke a chance to speak. He stood up as well to watch her depart from the living room. Frustrated, Luke suppressed the urge to kick the couch opposite him and instead sat back down, exhaling slowly as he sunk into the pillow.

Where had it all go wrong?

* * *

"I don't get it. What am I doing wrong?"

"You're trying too hard. Take a deep breath. It'll happen naturally if you let it."

Leia sighed in exasperation at this vague instruction. "If you say so," she mumbled before pushing the bandana back over her eyes.

"Now reach out with your feelings."

Leia grit her teeth and attempted to do as Ahsoka said. Her hands were wrapped around her lightsaber as she swayed back and forth. She heard the remote humming softly, yet the sound gave her no indication when it was going to fire. She had to rely solely on her instincts for that.

"Let go."

Her movements were rhythmic, deliberate. She followed the remote without seeing it, keeping her blade in between herself and the droid. Leia suddenly tensed up as she sensed something…

Slashing the lightsaber through the air, Leia deflected a bolt before it struck her in the face. Rearing back, she thrust the blade downward and deflected two more bolts in one swift move.

"Well done," she heard Ahsoka say, her tone stolid. "You may remove the blind."

Leia deactivated her lightsaber and tore the bandana off. "That was amazing!" she exclaimed, grinning broadly at her teacher. Ahsoka was leaning against a tree with her arms and legs crossed. She seemed to be struggling to keep herself from smiling.

"You have made considerable progress in a short amount of time," she said mildly.

"It's so exhilarating!" Leia said, feeling downright giddy with excitement. "I knew exactly when it was going to happen! I could just feel it!"

Ahsoka nodded. "That is the power of the Force," she said.

"So what's next?" Leia asked.

Ahsoka frowned at this question. "Next?" she repeated.

"Yeah, what else do I need to know how to do?"

Puzzled, Ahsoka blinked a few times before answering. "You haven't learned how to do anything yet," she said, pushing herself away from the tree and taking a few steps toward Leia.

"Of course I have!" Leia said. "You taught me how to shield, fight, and detect. What else is there?"

"Leia, you've barely scraped the surface of the Jedi Arts," Ahsoka told her. "I've taught you the basic principles, but you're nowhere near mastering them."

"Who said anything about mastery?" Leia asked. "I just need to be good enough, right?"

"I don't think you appreciate the extent of your father's powers."

Leia bit her tongue and looked away. No matter how many times she had asked her to stop referring to Vader as that, Ahsoka refused to listen.

"I understand why you're impatient, but this isn't something you should run into unprepared."

"I get that, but every day I spend training is another day Luke and my mother are imprisoned!"

"Imprisoned is a strong word."

"They're being held against their will!"

Ahsoka held up her hands in surrender, clearly not wanting to get into this debate again. "Alright," she said. "But you can't rush these kind of things."

"Why not?"

"Why not? Leia, are you really asking me that?"

"Yes, I am," Leia said smartly. Ahsoka's mouth fell open, bamboozled by Leia's temerity. "You said it yourself, I'm a natural," she said. "You said it would take months or even years for others to get where I have gotten in just a week!"

"That may be true, but it doesn't mean you're ready to confront Darth Vader."

"I'm not going to confront him! I'm not an idiot."

"Oh no?"

Leia felt herself flush with indignation. "I'm not!" she snapped. "I've been a Rebel since I was sixteen! I know how to conduct a stealth operation."

"I don't doubt it, but as I have told you time and time again, Vader is a different beast."

"Ugh!" Leia exclaimed, throwing her hands up in the air. "You keep saying that!"

"You think I'm lying?" Ahsoka asked, arching an eyebrow.

"You've never told me what's so special about him."

"Yes I have! Everything I've taught you to do? He's a hundred times better at it than you are. Hell, a thousand times! A million! You can't even conceive of his capabilities!"

"Oh yeah? Then help me out, would you?" Ahsoka rolled her eyes at this, causing Leia's frustration to augment even further. "You don't want me to go!" she accused. "That's all this is about!"

Ahsoka snorted in amusement. "Because I'm really enjoying your company right now," she said snidely.

Leia heard a snapping sound in the distance as she took a step toward Ahsoka. "If he's so powerful, more training isn't going to make a difference," she said. "I might as well just –"

Leia was interrupted when something heavy hit the back of her head. She staggered forward and Ahsoka stepped out of the way.

"Finish that thought, why don't you?" Ahsoka said as Leia spun around to see a tree branch hovering at eyelevel.

"What the hell –"

Leia was forced to duck when the branch went flying toward her face. She fell to the dirt as the branch went crashing into a tree trunk behind her, shards of wood sprinkling down on her shoulders.

"You think you can beat Darth Vader? How about you beat me first."

Leia looked up to see Ahsoka standing a few meters away with her arms crossed. Struggling to her feet, Leia had to jump out of the way when a second branch snapped off of a nearby tree and went soaring toward her.

"Stop it!" Leia yelled, producing her lightsaber.

"Make me," Ahsoka challenged.

Leia slashed her blade through a third branch which flew over Ahsoka straight toward Leia's face. The two halves hurtled past her, scraping her shoulders on the way past.

"Go on," Ahsoka goaded. "Show me how wrong I am."

Enraged, Leia raised her lightsaber and charged toward her insouciant teacher. She was a mere three feet away when Ahsoka casually swiped her hand. An invisible force struck Leia in the chest and she was thrown backward several feet in the air. Leia was utterly winded when she landed hard on her back, her lightsaber skidding away into the forest when her wrist smashed into a tree root. Leia was unable to get up as she heard Ahsoka approach, boots crunching on the pine-needle strewn ground.

"You are not ready, Leia," she told her. Ahsoka loomed over her for a few moments before extending her hand to her.

Leia ignored the offer. Instead, she pushed herself upward and kicked at Ahsoka's shin. Caught off guard, Ahsoka lost her footing and went tumbling to the ground. Picking up a stick, Leia leapt to her feet and slashed her makeshift weapon at Ahsoka's prone form. Rather than striking her across the face like she intended, however, Ahsoka managed to grab onto the stick and it snapped as Leia's momentum carried her leftward.

"That was impressive," Ahsoka told her from the ground, the corner of her lips curling into a smile. Breathing heavily, Leia considered her foe for a few moments before stepping away. "You're not going to extend the same courtesy to me?" Ahsoka asked.

"You don't need help getting up," Leia said.

"Fair enough." Ahsoka got to her feet with exceptional grace, not even bothering to use her hands as she leapt into the air. Startled, Leia stumbled backward and held up her hands defensively. "Calm down," Ahsoka said, smirking. "Fight time's over."

"I won," Leia said, relaxing her posture.

"Is that so?"

"I beat you!"

"Beat me? Leia, what galaxy are you in right now? In no shape or form was I defeated. I didn't even draw my weapons. And that reminds me. Where is your lightsaber?"

Leia glanced around at the woods around her. "It's… somewhere around here."

"I see," Ahsoka said, nodding. "So in your mind, you won even though I have two lightsabers and you have none."

Leia elected not to respond. Seeing a glint of metal, Leia exhaled in relief and took off toward her cherished weapon.

"Not so fast."

The lightsaber was lifted into the air and went zipping past Leia's face. Spinning around, Leia's mouth fell open as she saw Ahsoka grab the hilt.

"Now I have three," she said. "Do you still think you won?"

"Give it back!" Leia demanded.

Ahsoka quirked an eyebrow in amusement. "I don't think I will," she said.

"Why are you doing this?" Leia asked, jaw clenched in frustration.

"To prove a point," Ahsoka said as she tossed the lightsaber back to her. Leia caught the hilt with both hands, perplexed as to why Ahsoka would give her weapon back to her so willingly. "If you go to Imperial Center without proper training, you will be killed."

"And what constitutes proper training in your mind?" Leia asked, clipping her lightsaber back to her belt. "How long would you have me wait?"

Ahsoka squirmed at this question. She clearly didn't have an answer for her.

Leia shook her head in disappointment. "That's what I thought," she said before spinning around and marching away.

* * *

Luke woke up to the sound of hushed voices. Too exhausted to bother listening to what they were saying, Luke rolled over and pressed his face against the couch pillow. He had nearly fallen back asleep when a realization startled him back to his senses.

Who was talking? He and his mother were alone here. There wasn't anyone else she could possibly be talking to other than Vader, and he couldn't sense his father's presence anywhere.

Luke's ears perked up as he sat upright. It was definitely his mother talking, there was no doubt about that. Who she was talking to and what she was saying was a mystery to him, however.

Sliding off the couch, Luke tiptoed toward the hallway leading to his mother's room. He froze when he heard her speak again, her voice now comprehensible to him.

"So let me get this straight. You want me to convince her _not_ to rescue me?"

Luke pressed his back against the wall and inched forward slowly. The door to the bedroom was open by a fraction, and Luke suspected he wouldn't have managed to hear anything if it was closed completely. Could it be that Padmé had simply forgotten to close the door or had she intended for him to overhear? Either way, Luke wasn't going to risk getting caught.

"Well, do you think she's capable?"

Luke strained his ears, but he was unable to hear the other person's response.

"Don't you dare accuse me of that!" he heard Padmé say, struggling to keep her tone down. "Of course I value her safety!"

Luke's head swiveled away from the door when he heard a loud thump somewhere down the hallway. Vader was here! His mother hadn't seemed to hear, however, as she kept talking to whomever she was speaking with.

"I value your judgement, but I don't think you appreciate the urgency of the situation," she said.

Luke looked back and forth between the door and the hallway. Should he warn his mother that Vader was here? Or should he stay silent and let fate play as it may? His mother's words from that night rang in his mind as he considered what to do.

_Who would you choose? Him or me?_

His mother or his father? Who did Luke value more?

Who would he choose?


	14. Estranged

Luke hesitated only for a moment longer before bursting into his mother's room. She was seated on the bed with her legs folded underneath her. A holoprojector was rested on the blanketed surface in front of her. The device was emitting a bright blue projection which flickered in and out. Luke didn't get a chance to see who it was, however, because Padmé hastily covered the holoprojector with her hand.

"Luke!" she exclaimed, eyes widening with surprise. "What are you –"

"Vader's here," he interrupted, whispering so his father wouldn't overhear. Padmé didn't respond, seemingly frozen as she stared back at him. "Turn it off! Turn it off!" he said frantically when he heard footsteps approaching.

"Padmé?" came Vader's unaltered voice from the hallway. "Are you in there?"

His mother sprang into action. Deactivating the holoprojector, she leapt across the bed toward the end table. Pulling out a drawer, she stuffed the device inside and shut it closed. She had just returned to her spot in the middle of the bed and was brushing the hair out of her face when the door opened.

"We need to talk," Vader said, oblivious to the scramble which had just ensued. "Oh," he said, seeing Luke at the foot of the bed. "Luke, I didn't know –"

"I was just brushing my teeth in the fresher," Luke said loudly. "There's only the one, you know," he added with a nervous chuckle.

Vader gave Luke a strange look. "That's, um… that's alright," he said.

Luke chewed on his lower lip as he looked back and forth between his two parents. "Do you want me to go, or –"

"No," Padmé interrupted at once. "You're staying." She stared back at Vader, challenging him to object. He didn't, however. Vader merely nodded.

"Very well," he said.

"So why are you here?" Padmé asked, her tone accusative as always.

"There is a subject of great import which I wish to discuss with you."

"And what might that be?"

Vader hesitated. "I will allow you to get dressed first," he said. An awkward moment passed as Vader fidgeted with the hem of his cape. "I'll be in the living room," he said finally. He cleared his throat and turned to Luke. "Do you –"

"I'll be right behind you," Luke told him. "I just wanted to talk to Mom about something."

A barely perceptible twinge of resentment passed his father's face. "Very well," he said once again before spinning on his heel and departing. Luke exhaled when he was gone, releasing the breath he hadn't realized he had been holding.

"How much did you hear?" Padmé asked once Luke had closed the door.

"Enough to know that you're making a mistake," Luke told her, his voice hardly louder than a whisper.

Padmé frowned at this comment. "What is that supposed to mean?" she asked.

"No rescue mission is going to succeed," Luke said. "Not only is the security system impenetrable, Vader will sense it if we try to escape. When that happens, he'll lock you up for real this time."

"So what would you have me do, Luke?" Padmé hissed. "Roll over?"

Luke shook his head, not knowing how to respond. "I should go," he said. "Vader might get suspicious."

"I'm not going to be his prisoner," Padmé said when Luke made to leave. "And neither will you, Luke. I will do anything in my power to get us away from him."

Luke pursed his lips as he considered his mother's determined expression. Unsure of what to say, he turned around and left the bedroom.

He took his time walking to the living room, dragging his feet against the carpeted floor as he made his way down the hallway. When he arrived, he found Vader standing in front of the window looking out at the patio. His helmet was rested a few feet away on a circular glass table next to the couches. Vader's fair hair was emblazoned by the bright morning light, and Luke had to squint at him as he approached.

"Morning," Vader said without turning to look at him. Luke came to a stop about a meter away, holding his hands behind his back.

"Morning," Luke replied. He waited for Vader to say something, yet after nearly a full minute he chose to break the silence himself. "Where were you this time?" he asked. "We haven't seen you in over a day."

"You must have been delighted," Vader said, his lip curling with bitterness.

Luke's eyes widened – with both surprise and apprehension – at the rancor in Vader's voice. Comments like that were a source of great trepidation for him. The last thing he wanted was for Vader to give up hope trying to win Padmé back. If that happened, Luke would really be stuck in the crosshairs. Would Vader blame him in that case? Luke knew that his father resented him for how much better his relationship with Padmé was.

"Of course we weren't," he said, taking a hesitant step toward his father. "We missed…" He stopped talking when Vader turned his head to look at him. Luke gulped when he saw his father's expression. "Well, I missed you, at least," he said in a mousy voice.

Vader looked as if he was going to say something, but he clenched his jaw instead and looked away. Luke took a shaky breath. Hopefully he had been able to ameliorate some of the tension, but Luke knew Vader was still upset. This troubled him immensely. An upset Vader was also a dangerous Vader.

He hated how afraid he was of his father. He couldn't help it, however. For as much humanity he had demonstrated in the short time they had known each other, the violence he had displayed and the carnage he had caused completely nullified it in Luke's eyes. Whenever he looked at Vader, he saw him murdering the Emperor in the most brutal way possible. Or he would see him looming over him with his lightsaber in hand, eyes flashing furiously as darkness swirled around him. The man was destruction personified, and Luke feared making one wrong move and becoming a subject of his next rampage.

That didn't mean he didn't sympathize with him. He did. The man was his father! Luke had a responsibility to help him. But how could he do that when he was also tacitly supporting his mother's intentions to escape? Losing her for a second time would crush him.

"She's always taken an inordinate time getting dressed," Vader said finally. Luke blinked a few times in surprise. Was that levity in his voice?

"She, uh… she's got quite the wardrobe," Luke commented.

Vader snorted in agreement. "That's not even half of it," he said. "The rest was back on Naboo."

Luke pursed his lips and glanced down the hallway toward his mother's room. The door was still closed shut. "Have you ever been?" he asked.

"To Naboo?" Luke nodded. Padmé had told him all about her home planet, and Luke had been utterly enraptured by her descriptions. From what he heard, it sounded like the most beautiful place in the galaxy. "Oh, yes," Vader said, smiling. "I've been."

"What's it like?" Luke asked.

Vader opened his mouth to speak, but he hesitated. "Your mother could tell you far better than I," he said gruffly.

"I want to hear what you think," Luke said.

Vader arched an eyebrow as he glanced at him. "What… I think?" he asked. He sounded confused. As if he wasn't used to being asked his opinion.

"Yeah," Luke said, nodding. "What did you think of it?"

Vader considered him for a few moments before returning his gaze toward the window. He closed his eyes and exhaled out his mouth, his features smoothing out as a contented expression graced his face. Luke wasn't sure he had ever seen him look that way.

"It's serene," he said, sighing. "When I was there… nothing else mattered. It was just me and…"

"And her?" Luke provided.

Vader bowed his head and shook his head. "I don't know what to do," he said, voice heavy with despair. "I don't know how to fix it."

Several moments passed as Luke contemplated how best to respond to this. In that time, Vader recomposed himself and took a few steps away from Luke toward the couches.

"I don't think you can," Luke said.

Vader stopped. Grabbing the back of the couch, he craned his head back toward Luke. "What?" he asked.

"You can't fix it," Luke said. When Vader stared back at him blankly, Luke decided to elucidate. "Neither of you are the same person you were twenty years ago," he pointed out. "You've both been through hell. There's no way you could rekindle what you once had."

"So what would you have me do?" Vader asked. "Give up?"

Luke paused when he recalled how similar this question was to Padmé's from a few minutes prior. The context was different but the substance was not: For all their flamboyance, his parents had no idea how to conduct themselves around each other. In turn, they had both turned to him to provide a solution. The task was truly daunting.

"No," Luke said. "That's the one thing you can never do."

"Then what?" Vader asked, nearly desperate in his supplication.

Luke licked his lips, fearing that what he was about to suggest might be taken poorly. "If you can't fix it, you have to build something new," he said.

"Build something new?" Vader repeated.

"Think of it this way," Luke said. "If your hyperdrive is leaking, what do you do?"

"Get a new ship," Vader said at once.

"What? No!"

"No?"

Luke rolled his eyes. "Assume you're not an Imperial for a moment," he said. "You don't have access to those kind of resources."

"Alright," Vader said, clearly puzzled as to what Luke was getting at.

"So what do you do? You could disassemble the hyperdrive and take it out of the ship piece by piece, then fix the leak, reassemble the engine, and put it back. Or you could just get an entirely new hyperdrive at a fraction of the cost and energy."

Vader nodded as he relaxed his grip on the couch. He glanced down as he flexed his mechanical fingers, his expression somber as he considered Luke's advice.

"But where am I going to get a new hyperdrive?" he asked. A long silence ensued as Vader brooded over this question. "She hates me," he said, dropping the analogy. "She wants nothing to do with me. I can't build something new if there's nothing to build with."

Luke was saved from having to provide an answer when the soft pattering of footsteps caused the both of them to turn toward the hallway. Emerging from around the corner was his mother. As always, she was dressed quite elegantly – a tan and grey tunic was framed by a velvet cape which terminated just below her knees. Luke couldn't help but notice the blaster dangling from her brown leather belt. She made a point of keeping that weapon visibly on her person whenever Vader was around.

"Well?" she said, placing her hands on her hips as she looked back and forth between them. Neither he nor Vader said a word, the both of them still mired in the conversation which Padmé's arrival had abruptly cut short. "What did you want to discuss?" she asked.

"I, um… take a seat, why don't you?" Vader suggested.

"I don't want to," Padmé said coolly.

"Oh," Vader said, severing eye contact by looking down at his boots. "Well, um… perhaps we could go out onto the patio, then?"

Padmé narrowed her eyes as she considered this proposition. "Will you tell me what this is about if I agree?" she asked.

Vader blinked once. "If you don't want to –"

"Ugh!" Padmé exclaimed. Spinning on her heel she marched away toward the door leading to the patio. "Are you coming or not?" she asked them as she stepped outside. Vader and Luke shared a glance before silently agreeing to follow after her.

The patio was by far the most opulent space in the apartment. A proud row of marble columns framed the hallway leading down toward the semicircular veranda where Luke had been attempting to meditate last night. Padmé was a little ways ahead of them, descending a short flight of stairs toward a pair of curved cream couches which were oriented symmetrically about the inner circumference. Just beyond the couches was a relatively modest golden fountain with a broad basin and a stubby spigot which gurgled water cheerily. This fountain was an important reference point for Luke. He knew that the invisible shields surrounding the apartment cut directly through its diameter.

"Alright. We're here."

Luke looked away from the fountain to see his mother standing in between the two couches. Her arms were crossed in front of her chest as she looked up at him and Vader who were still standing atop the stairs.

Vader didn't seem to register Padmé's comment. His eyes were glassy and distant as he stared at a point beyond the fountain. Luke nudged Vader with his elbow, rousing him back to reality.

"Go on," he whispered, gesturing to Padmé.

Vader gulped nervously yet didn't delay any further. He took a step forward and began walking down the stairs. Despite her feisty display of defiance, Luke could see that his mother was afraid of Vader just like he was. As the hulking man approached, she took an involuntary step back, her hand instinctively drifting down toward her belt.

"Luke," she said, her eyes still fixated on Vader.

Luke didn't require any further elaboration on her part. Hurrying down the stairs, he surpassed Vader and oriented himself in between his parents. He eyed Vader warily, hoping he wouldn't take offense to this. Vader revealed nothing, however, his expression inscrutable as he glanced back and forth between Luke and Padmé. Finally, he spoke.

"The Empire is in disarray," he said frankly.

"That's too bad."

"The Emperor never devised a plan of succession," Vader said, ignoring Padmé's snide remark. "Amedda and I have tried to maintain authority over the Moffs, but they're not being cooperative. They're carving out spheres of influence for themselves and ignoring instruction from Imperial Center."

"Sounds like you've got your hands full."

"I need your help, Padmé. I can't do this alone."

Padmé's eyebrows shot up her forehead at this request. "You need me?" she asked. "For what, exactly? To rebuild the Empire?"

"The Imperial apparatus has to be maintained, at least in the short term," Vader said. "The galaxy will fall apart if it doesn't. Don't you care about that?"

Padmé blinked a few times in disbelief. "You're serious, aren't you?"

"Of course I'm serious."

Padmé considered him for a few moments before shaking her head and marching past him. Perhaps surprised that she would so bold as to walk away from him, Vader hesitated for a few moments before spinning around to stop her.

"Where are you going?" he asked after she had reached the top of the stairs.

Padmé turned around and sneered at him. "The galaxy fell apart twenty years ago, Anakin," she told him. Luke's eyes widened, having never before heard his mother call Vader by that name. "We couldn't pick up the pieces then. What makes you think we could now?"

Vader could think of no response. He merely watched, his mouth hanging ajar as he watched his estranged wife depart.

* * *

Leia was seated on the floor of her tent with her knees pulled into her chest when she heard someone unzipping the entrance. She didn't bother to look up, head bowed and eyes shut as she rocked back and forth.

"Hey, Princess. You okay?"

Leia sighed. She didn't want to have to deal with Han right now.

"What is it, Han?" she asked.

Han faltered at the astringency of her tone. "I can come back later if you want," he said.

"I'd appreciate that."

"Okay, then. I… well it's just a quick thing, I guess."

Leia opened her eyes languidly and looked up at Han. His typically suave demeanor was undercut by the fact that he couldn't stand fully upright in the shallow-ceilinged tent. His back was hunched and his hands were stuffed awkwardly into his pockets as he looked down at her with a slight grimace.

"Spit it out, would you?" Leia snapped.

Taken aback by her hostility, Han furrowed his brow at her. Rather than leaving like she had hoped, however, Han took a step forward and kneeled down by her side.

"What's going on with you?" he asked.

Leia bit her tongue and looked away. "Nothing," she said unconvincingly.

"You spend hours on end with this Ahsoka person and you won't tell me why," Han said. "And I thought… well I thought we had something, you know?"

Leia frowned at this comment. "What do you mean?" she asked, turning back to him.

"You told me… you told me that you loved me," he said, mumbling. "Was that just because…"

"Because I thought you were going to die?" Leia provided.

Han gulped. "Yeah," he said.

Leia's expression softened as she considered Han's point of view. She hadn't told him anything about her training with Ahsoka because that necessarily entailed her telling him about her relation to Vader. That was something he absolutely could not find out about. As a consequence, Han must have thought that she was drifting away from him. They hardly spent any time together anymore since Leia was so preoccupied with her training.

"Han, I…" she began to say, but she lost her voice. What was she going to tell him? That she had meant what she said? That she loved him? That wasn't the truth though, was it? Did she really love him? She hadn't been able to give this question any thought over the past week.

"It's okay," Han said gruffly. "I get it. What could a guy like me offer to you?"

"Don't say that, Han," Leia said, but he wasn't listening. Standing up, he turned around and made his way toward the door. "Han, wait!" She stood up on her knees and reached out to grab his pant leg. Surprised, he turned back to look at her. "I… I…" She trailed off, not sure what to say but certain that she wanted to say something. "What were you going to tell me?" she asked finally, sagging her shoulders in disappointment at herself.

Han considered her for a few moments, he too pondering the unsaid words hovering in the air. "Chewie and Lando made contact with me this afternoon," he told her. "That's all."

"What do you mean 'that's all?'" Leia asked. Han didn't answer her and Leia's hand fell back to her side when he took a step away. Ducking through the doorway, Han zipped the door closed behind him and walked away into the night. "Han!" she called after him to no avail. "What do you mean?"

Leia didn't need him to explain, however. She knew exactly what he meant.

Han was leaving. With or without her, only time would tell.

* * *

Leia didn't sleep a wink that night. She lay flat on her back and stared at the ceiling of her tent for hours on end as she contemplated what to do.

The obvious answer was for her to go with Han. From there, she would convince him to take her to Imperial Center where she would attempt to rescue Luke and her mother. But the more Leia thought about it, the more ambivalent she became at the prospect. She wasn't ready to do this. The thrashing Ahsoka had given her the evening prior had demonstrated that beyond a shadow of a doubt.

But what was her alternative? Stay here and train with Ahsoka? That could take years! And what would it accomplish? She would merely delay the inevitable and lose Han in the process.

No, Leia had to go. But if she was really going to do this, she needed a better plan. She couldn't just run in blindly and hope that she wouldn't get caught. Luke had tried that back on Bespin, and look how poorly that had worked out for him. She had to learn from his mistakes.

She didn't have much information to work with, however. Despite agreeing to train her for this mission, Ahsoka hadn't provided Leia with any specifics. Perhaps she reasoned that it was so far down the road that there wasn't any point in devising a plan so soon. Well, Leia's timeframe was significantly more abbreviated. She understood the urgency of the situation far better than Ahsoka did. She knew Vader was abusing her mother, and the sooner she got her out of Imperial Center the better.

She still couldn't believe that Boba Fett had been her mother in disguise. How could the proud woman whom she had idolized since childhood have devolved into such a ruthless and uncouth person as Fett? Ahsoka of course hadn't told her anything, claiming that it wasn't her story to share. Leia needed to get to the bottom of this. She had to understand what had happened. It was probably Vader's fault. He was most likely responsible for this. All the more reason to get her away from him.

Leia had never been particularly interested in her birth parents. She had been curious, of course, but ultimately she had considered Bail and Breha to be her true parents. They may have not been biologically related, but they had been family to her in all other ways.

But now they were gone.

For the past three years, Leia had been entirely alone in the galaxy. In that time, she had pushed everyone away from her. Nobody could replace them in her eyes. Nobody could understand how she had suffered.

Nobody but one, that is. Had she known somehow? On some level, she must have. There had been a time where she thought she was falling in love with him, but then she had realized that it was something far deeper. She and Luke had been intimately bonded to one another from the very beginning despite not knowing hardly anything about each other. She had assumed that it was merely because they had both been involved in a harrowing experience on the Death Star, but now she knew better.

And so Leia now knew that she could move on. She had a family again, and she wasn't going to lose them this time around. No, she couldn't allow that to happen. She _would_ save them. She _had_ to save them.

Or else there would truly be nothing left.


	15. Clouded Vision

"Leia, might I might have a word?"

Leia bowed her head and let out a sigh. She begrudgingly turned around to see Ahsoka walking toward her.

"Go ahead," she murmured to Han. "I'll join you on the ship in a minute."

"Sure thing," Han said. He gave Ahsoka a suspicious glance before walking away toward the _Falcon_.

Leia watched him depart for a moment before devoting her full attention to Ahsoka. She crossed her arms in front of her chest and prepared herself for a confrontation.

"You weren't going to tell me you were leaving?" Ahsoka asked her.

"I knew you'd try and stop me," Leia said.

Ahsoka bit her lower lip and glanced behind Leia toward the _Falcon_ which was parked in the clearing next to the troop transport. Lando and Chewbacca had touched down about a half hour ago, and they were just about ready to take off.

"I'm not going to try and convince you otherwise," Ahsoka said. "You can make your own decisions."

"I appreciate that," Leia said.

"But I wanted to give some advice before you go."

"Advice?"

Ahsoka nodded. "When you…" She trailed off, her eyes darting away from Leia's face when she heard voices. Leia spun around to see Han and Lando shaking hands at the base of the ramp. "Come with me," Ahsoka said in a hushed voice. Placing a hand on Leia's shoulder, she steered her away toward the edge of the clearing.

"You don't need to keep doing this, you know," Leia said once they were out of earshot. "I know how dangerous this is. I'm doing it anyway."

"I know," Ahsoka said. "That's not what this is about."

"Then what?"

Ahsoka paused as she considered Leia's defiant expression with great scrutiny. "I don't mean to belittle you, but I know that you are going to fail," she said.

"You know that, do you?"

"Yes, Leia. I do."

"Well I think you're underestimating me."

The corner of Ahsoka's lips twitched in amusement. "Perhaps I am," she said. "But in the case that you do fail –"

"I'm not going to –"

"– In that case, I want you to hear what I have to say," Ahsoka said, speaking over Leia's protestation.

Leia frowned but didn't offer an objection. "Fine," she said. "What do you have to say?"

Ahsoka reached out and placed a hand on her cheek. Leia froze, thoroughly caught off guard by this oddly maternal gesture.

"You can be the one to save him, Leia," Ahsoka said, her voice soft as a whisper. "You and Anakin – you're so very much alike." Ahsoka smiled wanly before lowering her hand. "Give him a chance. He might surprise you."

"You want me to give Darth Vader a chance?" Leia asked skeptically.

Ahsoka shook her head. "I want you to give your father a chance." She glanced down at the lightsaber dangling from Leia's belt. "He was once a good man," she said. "You'll see."

Leia clenched her jaw and cupped the hilt of her lightsaber with her hand. "Is there anything else?" she asked.

Ahsoka placed a hand on Leia's shoulder. "I know we had our differences, but do know that I care about you," she said.

Leia swallowed hard at this comment. When was the last time anyone had ever said something like that to her?

Ahsoka retracted her hand. She elevated her chin and wiped the affectionate expression from her face. "May the Force be with you, Leia," she told her. "And may our paths cross again."

Leia allowed herself to smile. "Thank you, Master," she said.

* * *

"What are you doing?"

His mother was seated on the edge of her bed with a screwdriver in hand. In her lap was a piece of her Mandalorian armor – the forearm guard, he presumed based on its size and shape. When she heard his voice, Padmé looked up sharply.

"Is he gone?" she asked.

Luke nodded. "He was in a pretty bad mood."

"Let him stew," Padmé mumbled as she returned her attention to her work.

Luke considered broaching the subject, but ultimately thought better of it. His mother wouldn't want to talk about it, anyway. "What are you doing?" he asked again.

Padmé's stuck out her tongue as she concentrated on unfastening a screw. "I wanted to see how much fuel I have left," she told him.

"Fuel?" Luke repeated. "What fuel?"

"For the flamethrower."

Luke blinked a few times, sure he had misheard her. "That's a flamethrower?" he asked.

"Sure is," Padmé said, glancing up and giving him a smile. "Cool, isn't it?"

"Um… yeah," Luke said. He watched silently for a few moments as his mother set the screw aside on her end table. "How'd you learn to use all this stuff?" he asked, taking a step toward the armor which Padmé had meticulously laid out in the corner of the room.

"Ahsoka and Rex taught me," she said proudly. "I knew how to handle a blaster before, but I never knew how to fight. I wish I had. It sure could have come in handy." She snorted and shook her head. "I was so naïve back then."

"That's not true," Luke insisted.

Padmé arched an eyebrow as she looked up at him. "I was an idiot," she said bluntly. "I placed my faith in the wrong things and in the wrong people."

"Such as Vader?" Luke asked.

"Such as him," Padmé agreed. "But also in people like Palpatine."

"You couldn't have known –"

"Oh, but I could have," Padmé interrupted with a sneer. "I could have seen through it all, but I chose not to." She bit her tongue as she looked back down at the flamethrower. "I'm smarter now," she said. "I see things for how they really are."

"You think so?"

"I know so."

Luke nodded as he kneeled down to take a closer look at his mother's armor. Picking up the breastplate, he ran his finger down the jagged scar along the middle. "How do you see Vader?" he asked.

"I see a broken man," she answered without hesitation.

"Broken how?"

"He wants something that no longer exists," she said, her voice rife with vitriol. "He honestly thinks that I'll just forget what happened."

Luke knew better than to ask her to elaborate. She had made it quite clear that she didn't want to talk about that, and Luke had come to terms with that. He was desperately curious, yes, but he respected his mother's wishes for secrecy.

"What do you see when you look at me?" he asked.

Padmé faltered at this question. "Pardon?" she asked.

Luke looked up to meet her gaze. "Do you see him in me?"

"Do I…? Of course not," she said, stammering. "Why would you ask that?"

"Well we look so much alike," Luke pointed out.

"No. No," Padmé said, shaking her head vigorously. "You're nothing like him, Luke. Nothing."

Luke shrugged and looked back down at the breastplate. He couldn't help but think that Padmé wasn't being truthful with herself. She claimed to see things so clearly now, but he suspected that her vision was in fact more clouded than ever.

"So I'm more like you?" he asked.

"In a sense."

"How do you mean?"

"You're like how I used to be."

"Naïve?"

"You're well-intentioned, Luke, but you're far too trusting."

"And I say you're far too cynical."

Padmé didn't seem to take offense to this criticism. On the contrary, she seemed almost proud of him. "Reality is cynical, Luke," she told him.

"No it isn't," Luke said with a frown. "Reality is reality. You just choose to interpret it cynically."

Padmé smirked at this. "Perhaps," she conceded. "But it's kept me alive, hasn't it?"

Luke was unable to refute this. "But don't you want more than that?" he asked. "Just being alive… what's the point in that?"

Padmé's expression sobered as she considered this question. "Are you asking why I didn't kill myself?" she asked after a long silence.

"What? No!" Luke exclaimed in horror.

"Because I thought about it," she said. Luke's face blanched at this stark delivery. "But I have a purpose now, Luke. I have something worth living for again."

Luke gulped. He had no idea what to say to something like that.

"I won't let him ruin it," Padmé said, her finger trembling as she pointed toward the door. "Do you hear me? I will stop at _nothing_ to get you away from that monster."

Luke could merely nod in response.

* * *

Leia was seated in the main hold of the _Falcon_. Her left arm was draped over the checkered table and her cheek was pressed against the cool metal surface. She looked up languidly at her fingers and sighed.

She was exhausted, but Leia couldn't fall asleep. There was too much on her mind. Besides, she couldn't help but remember the last time she had tried to fall asleep on this table three years ago…

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't realize –"

Startled, Leia jolted upright and turned toward the voice. Standing in the broad circular doorway was Lando.

"No, it's okay," Leia said when he backed away. "I can't sleep anyway."

Lando considered her for a few moments before nodding. "There's a guest room down the hall," he told her.

"I know, thank you," Leia said, smiling thinly.

Lando's awkwardness faded as he reciprocated her smile. "This ship used to be mine, you know," he said as he walked into the cabin.

"Han told me," Leia said.

Lando chuckled. "He swindled me out of the fastest ship in the galaxy," he said with a shake of his head. Leaning casually against the technical station in the corner, Lando looked up when he heard footsteps approaching. "Speak of the devil," he said.

"Speak for yourself," Han shot back when he came emerged from around the corner.

Leia chewed on her lower lip as she looked back and forth between the two men. "So you two are good?" she asked.

"Good?" Lando asked, arching an eyebrow at her.

"After what happened on Bespin…"

"That doesn't matter anymore," Han said, nodding at Lando. "The past is the past. We're all on the same side now."

"Right you are," Lando agreed.

"That's… good," Leia said, surprised by Han's attitude. He hadn't struck her as the forgiving sort.

"So what's this you wanted to talk to us about?" Han asked Lando.

Lando glanced at Leia before answering. "There's been a development," he said.

"What kind of development?" Leia asked.

Lando paused, seemingly for dramatic effect. "The Emperor is dead," he said finally.

Leia's mouth fell open. "Dead?" she asked, stunned. "How?"

"No one knows. Vader announced it a few days ago."

"Vader?"

"Some think he killed him," Lando said, shrugging. "I wouldn't put it past him."

Leia held a hand to her forehead as she looked away. This didn't make any sense! How could the Emperor be dead? Sure, she had known that he was old – ancient, even – but she hadn't even conceived of a possibility where he ended up dead. She had merely presumed he would live forever. A man that evil didn't just die of natural causes.

Could Lando be right? Had Vader really killed the Emperor? If so, why? Did he plan on seizing power? Or could Ahsoka have been right about him after all? Surely not…

"Leia? Leia, are you listening?"

She shook her head and looked up to see Han giving her an expectant look. "Sorry, I was just… thinking," she said.

"Lando's going to bring us to the Rebels' rendezvous point."

Leia blinked a few times as she processed this. "To the…? No, no we can't go there!"

"What do you mean? Why not?" Han asked.

"I…" Leia trailed off as she looked over at Lando.

"You can trust him," Han said, sensing the reason for her reticence. "Lando's with the Alliance now."

"I am your humble servant, Princess," Lando said, bowing his head.

Han slapped Lando on the shoulder with the back of his hand. "Quit being so smooth," he said.

"I can only try," Lando said with a grin. "It's natural, you see."

Han rolled his eyes and looked back at her. "What's on your mind?" he asked. "Why can't we go back to the Rebels?"

"It's not that, I just… I need to go somewhere first," she said haltingly.

"Where?"

Leia hesitated. After a few moments of deliberation, she finally blurted it out: "Imperial Center. I need to go to Imperial Center."

Han and Lando each gave her incredulous looks. "You got a death wish, Princess?" Lando asked.

Han gave Lando a disapproving look. "Imperial Center?" he asked. "Why do you need to go there?"

"I can't tell you," Leia said, cringing.

Han raised his eyebrows at this comment. "You can't tell me?" he repeated. "Why not, exactly?"

"It's dangerous," Leia said, hoping that her tone conveyed the severity of the situation. "Nobody can know."

"Could Ahsoka know?" Han asked with a frown. "Could you trust her more than us?"

"It's not about trust, Han," Leia said, holding her hands up to him.

"Then what is it about?"

Leia faltered as she considered how best to answer. "There are things you don't know about me, Han," she admitted in a whisper. "Things _nobody_ can ever know."

"Like what?" Han asked.

Leia closed her eyes and sighed. "I can't tell you," she reiterated.

She heard Han pace away a few lengths in agitation. "You're not making a really compelling case here," he said. "You want me to go to Imperial Center and risk getting all of us killed, but you won't tell me why?"

Leia's eyes flew open. "Han, this is important!"

"Important how?"

Leia gnashed her teeth and looked away. She hadn't realized how difficult this was going to be.

"Vader's going to want the three of us dead after what happened on Bespin," Lando pointed out. "No way in hell am I going to Imperial Center. That would be suicide!"

"Look, I understand why you're ambivalent, but time is of the essence!" Leia protested.

"Give me one good reason," Han demanded. "Just one. Why should we do something so stupid?"

Leia licked her lips as she met his gaze. "Luke's on Imperial Center," she told him.

Han furrowed his brow at this disclosure. "Luke?" he asked. "What's he doing there?"

"Does it matter?" When Han didn't answer, Leia continued her campaign. "He's in terrible danger, Han. That's all I can tell you."

Han took a step toward her with a finger raised. "So let me get this straight. When Luke is in danger, you're willing to drop everything and go rushing to Imperial Center to rescue him?"

Leia nodded, perplexed by this. "He's my… friend," she said, stopping herself before revealing who he really was to her.

Han's face twitched. "Your friend, huh?" he asked. "If he's your friend, then what am I?"

"What?"

"When I was in danger, you teamed up with the goddamn bounty hunter who had me delivered to Jabba in a carbonite block!" he exploded. "You didn't lift a finger to stop Fett!"

"Han, we've been over this! I had no choice!"

"But by all means, go risk it all for Luke!" Han roared. "Because he's your friend, right? Because he means so much to you."

"That's not fair!" Leia said as she leapt to her feet and pointed a finger at Han. "Quit making this about yourself! Not everything is about you, Han!"

"Clearly not!" Han said, throwing his hands in the air. "Clearly I don't matter to you at all!"

"Um, should I go?" Lando asked from the technical station.

"You're being a child about this," Leia said, disregarding the uncomfortable Lando.

Han shook his head and took a step away. "I'm sick of being toyed with," he said.

"What are you talking about?" Leia asked in exasperation. "I'm not toying with you!"

"You want to go save Luke? Fine. Be my guest. But I'm not going to be a part of it."

"You cannot be serious!" Leia exclaimed as Han spun around and walked toward the exit.

Han agitatedly waved a hand at her. "I'm out," he spat. Reaching the circular doorway, he turned around and gave her one last look. "I'll drop you off with the Rebels, and then we're done."

"Han!"

He turned away from her and marched away back toward the cockpit. Flustered, Leia stared at the arched doorway for a few moments before Lando regained her attention by clearing his throat.

"What?" she snapped.

Lando opened his mouth, but no words came out. Instead, he backed away slowly, clearly intimidated by her.

"I'll give you some space," he mumbled before retreating down the hallway.

Leia seethed after him as his footsteps faded away. Glancing down at the checkered table, Leia exhaled slowly and allowed her fists to unclench. Sitting back down on the bench, she covered her face with her hands and let out a silent scream.

Would no one ever believe in her?


	16. Royalty

"Senator Mothma, thank you for taking the time for seeing me."

The venerable senator smiled thinly at Leia as she extended a hand to her. "I'm glad to see you, Princess," she said as they shook. "We feared the worst after Hoth." Leia nodded, her face falling at the memory of Han's role in her escape from Echo Base. "Take a seat, why don't you," Mothma suggested, gesturing to the chair with a flourish of her hand.

Leia sat down as Mothma walked around her desk. The pair were in Mothma's modest office aboard the _Home One,_ the command ship for the Alliance's dwindling navy. The white walls were unadorned and her desk was similarly sparse save for a few framed holopics. Leia was giving these a look when something caught her eye.

"Is that…?"

Mothma took a seat opposite Leia and followed her gaze. "Oh yes," she said, smiling. "That's your father." She reached out and picked up the frame.

"And next to him?" Leia asked, leaning forward.

Mothma considered the holopic for a moment before looking back up at her. "Pardon?" she asked.

"May I see?" Leia requested, extending her hand.

Mothma hesitated momentarily. "Of course," she said, offering her the picture frame. Leia accepted it and placed the frame in her lap. "That's from our senatorial days during the Republic," Mothma said wistfully.

Leia drowned out Mothma's voice as she stared at the woman to her father's left. She was smiling radiantly, yet Leia could detect a hint of weariness in the young woman's eyes. She was dressed in a respectable yet elegant blue dress and her hair was done up in an impeccable bun.

"Leia?"

She looked up sharply. Mothma was frowning, yet more so in concern than in irritation.

"Did you know her?" Leia asked.

"Her?"

Leia raised the frame and pointed to her mother. "Senator Amidala," she clarified.

Mothma blinked once before nodding. "Of course," she said. "She was a close ally of your father and me."

"So you were friends?"

"I, um… I suppose so."

"Could you tell me about her?"

Mothma reached out and took the picture frame out of Leia's hands. "What is this about, Leia?" she asked as she set the holopic aside. "I was under the impression you had something urgent to discuss with me."

Leia tore her eyes away from her mother's face. "Forgive me for not being transparent," she apologized. Leia paused as she considered how best to proceed. She would have to be as vague as possible. Mothma couldn't find out the truth of Leia's parentage. "I wanted your assistance with something," she said.

Mothma crossed her arms as she leaned back in her chair. "Care to be more specific?" she asked.

"I need to go to Imperial Center," Leia elaborated.

"In what capacity?"

"I need to rescue someone."

"Whom?"

Leia hesitated. "Commander Skywalker," she confessed. "And… someone else."

"Someone else?"

"Will you help me with this?"

Mothma frowned. "May I ask why it has to be you?" she asked.

"I don't understand."

"Why do you personally have to go?"

Leia felt perspiration developing on her brow. Mothma sure was a shrewd one. She would have to be careful in her response.

"I'm the right person for this," she decided upon saying. "It has to be me."

"I'm afraid I disagree," Mothma said.

"Why?"

Mothma stood up and leaned over the desk toward her. "You have forgotten your role in this rebellion, Leia," she said. "You are a politician, not an operative."

"Says who?"

"Excuse me?"

"I hold no official position in the Alliance," Leia pointed out. "And the Senate was dissolved three years ago. My title as a senator is purely honorific at this point."

"So what? Leia, you're a talented political mind! Why would you squander that?"

"I'm not squandering anything!"

"You're too valuable to me, Leia," Mothma insisted. "I can't allow you to risk your life for Commander Skywalker's sake."

"I don't require your permission, I am merely asking for your assistance," Leia said coolly. "If you are not willing to provide me that, then I suppose this meeting is concluded." When Mothma didn't respond, Leia pushed out her chair and stood up. "Thank you for taking the time to meet with me, senator," she said, her tone flat and rigid.

She extended her hand, yet Mothma didn't take it. The elder senator's eyes darted down toward Leia's belt. "Where did you get that?" she asked.

Leia followed Mothma's gaze to her lightsaber. Her eyes widened and she quickly covered the shiny hilt with her hand. "I… uh, it was a… a gift," she said, floundering.

Several moments passed as Mothma continued to stare at Leia's belt. "You were on Maverick Base, were you not?" she asked finally.

"…Yes."

"I take it you met Fulcrum while you were there?"

Leia gulped audibly. "I may have," she said.

"Relax, Leia," Mothma said as she sat back down. "I'm not interrogating you."

"It kind of feels like you are."

"Your secrets are your secrets, but I do think I have a right to know if one of my colleagues is training to be a Jedi."

Leia caught her breath at this comment. "Who said anything about –"

"Again, your secrets are your secrets," Mothma interrupted. "But if this is the case, I may be more amenable to your propositions."

"Why might that be?"

"I knew many Jedi before the Empire," Mothma explained. "I know of their capabilities."

"So are you saying you'll help me?" Leia asked, anxiety ebbing away in the face of her curiosity.

"Perhaps," Mothma said as she interlocked her fingers in front of her chin. "Help me understand this first," she said. "I take it you only recently learned of your abilities?"

Leia didn't answer right away. There was little point in denying, however. Mothma clearly knew. "That's correct," she said therefore.

"Fascinating," Mothma mused. She scrutinized Leia's face for a few moments before gesturing to the chair. "Take a seat," she requested. "This meeting is far from concluded." Leia did as the senator asked. Once she was seated, Mothma spoke. "Don't think that I don't value Commander Skywalker's wellbeing," she prefaced. "Believe me, I do. He is a valuable member of this Alliance."

"Because he's a Jedi?" Leia asked.

"In part," Mothma nodded. "But he is also an excellent pilot and an even better friend to so many in the Alliance. Losing him would be detrimental on many levels."

"So you'll let me go?"

"Not so fast," Mothma said. "Skywalker may be valuable, but you are as well. For all the same reasons, I might add."

Leia snorted. "Not exactly," she said. "I'm nobody's friend here."

"Perhaps you are not as… amicable as him, but people here respect you. You're a hero in this rebellion."

"Luke is ten times the hero I am."

"This isn't an equation, Leia," Mothma scolded. "You can't convince me that risking your life for Skywalker's sake would in any way be a good idea."

"Then what can I do to convince you?" Leia asked, beginning to grow frustrated with this circuitous dialogue.

Mothma pursed her lips as she deliberated. "Admiral Ackbar and myself have been invited to the capital by the interim leader of the Empire," she said.

"Vader?"

Mothma shook her head. "No," she said. "Mas Amedda."

Interesting. So it seemed Vader hadn't seized power after all. All the more evidence toward Ahsoka's point of view.

"I planned on refusing, but you have encouraged me to reconsider that decision. I assume Skywalker is being held captive by Vader?"

Warning sounds blared in Leia's mind at this question "Why would you assume that?" she asked.

"Vader's been after Skywalker for the better part of three years," Mothma said breezily. "If Skywalker is on Imperial Center, it's safe to assume Vader was the one who brought him there."

"Oh," Leia said. She allowed herself to relax. She was safe; Mothma clearly didn't know anything.

"Point being, I can help distract Vader," Mothma continued. "He will inevitably be invited to a meeting of this significance. That will give you an opportunity to rescue Skywalker."

Leia raised her eyebrows as she realized what Mothma was proposing. "A diversion?" she asked.

"That's right," Mothma confirmed. "If you can use that lightsaber half as well as Fulcrum can, I'd reckon you'd be able to get Skywalker out without much trouble."

"I agree," Leia said, grateful that someone was placing faith in her for once. Of course, her lightsaber skills were virtually nonexistent, but Mothma didn't have to know about that.

"So tell me, Leia. Is this a good plan?"

Leia didn't hesitate. "It is," she said.

"Because if it goes wrong –"

"It won't go wrong," Leia said at once.

"But if it does, you could end up dead. And if my involvement is revealed, any chance of a peaceful settlement between the Alliance and the Empire will be gone for good."

"Neither of those things will happen."

"How can you be so sure?"

"I just am," Leia said. She knew it wasn't the most convincing argument, but she couldn't share the real one. She had the ultimate card up her sleeve in case this all went awry, and she wouldn't hesitate to play it no matter how much it disgusted her.

She was Vader's daughter. He wouldn't harm her if he learned that. Nor would he inquire into Mothma's alleged role in the scheme. She suspected Vader would be too stunned by the revelation to give any thought into that.

"Before I sign off on this, I need to know one more thing," Mothma said.

Leia's spirits soared. Mothma was going to help her!

"Who is the other person?"

Leia came crashing back down. "Huh?" she asked.

"You said there were two people. Skywalker and someone else. Who is the other person?"

Leia's eyes darted to the holopic. "I, um… I'd rather not say," she muttered.

"And why might that be?"

"It's complicated."

"On the contrary, it's quite simple. You either tell me who this person is or I won't assist you."

"What? Why?"

"I'm not going into this blind, Leia. I need to know everything before I commit."

Leia clenched her jaw and looked away. Why did Mothma have to make this so difficult?

"I can't understand what you have to gain by keeping this a secret from me," Mothma said. "We are on the same side, Leia. I want to help you. Just tell me the truth, and I'll do that."

Leia took a moment to weigh the costs. She knew it was a tremendous risk to reveal her mother's identity – the fewer people who knew about her, the safer she would be from Vader. On the other hand, however, Leia knew that she needed Mothma's assistance. She needed Vader to be out of the picture when she arrived at the apartment, otherwise the plan would all be for naught.

"Fine," Leia said begrudgingly. "I can tell you who they are, but not their name."

Mothma narrowed her eyes as she leaned forward over the desk. "Go on," she said.

Leia took a breath. "It's my mother," she confessed.

Mothma looked visibly perplexed by this information. "Your mother?" she repeated. "As in… Breha Organa?"

Leia winced. "No," she said. "My birth mother."

Mothma blinked once as she processed this. Suddenly, her eyes widened as she slowly turned her head toward the holopic. "Oh my," she said faintly.

Leia bit her tongue in frustration. She knew this was a mistake! Mothma had figured it out, hadn't she? "You can't tell anyone about this," Leia said urgently. "Senator, please –"

"I was told she was dead," Mothma said, having completely ignored Leia's demand. "Your father. He told me she was dead."

Leia was surprised by this. "He did?" she asked.

Mothma looked up at her dazedly. "How could I have ever believed him?" she asked herself. "How could I have been so gullible?"

"Gullible? What are you –"

"You look just like her! I can't believe I didn't see it until now."

Leia felt a blush spreading across her cheeks. She couldn't deny that she loved being told how much she looked like her mother, especially after decades of being reminded that she didn't look anything like the Organas.

"So will you help me?" Leia asked after half a minute of silence. Mothma didn't seem to register the question, her eyes oscillating back and forth as she scrutinized Leia's face. "Senator?" she pried. "Will you help me?"

"I… well, yes of course," she stammered. "But you need to tell me more! Where has she been all these years? Imprisoned? On the run? And how did she end up on Imperial Center?"

"I don't know," Leia lied. "You'll have to ask her."

"And you? How long have you known about this?"

"About a week," Leia admitted.

Mothma shook her head in astonishment as she looked back at the holopic on her desk.

"So do we have a deal?" Leia asked.

Mothma's expression hardened as she met Leia's gaze. "You're goddamn right we do," she said.

* * *

An hour later, Leia was in the weapons locker aboard the _Home One_ sifting through the various weapons with the assistance of an overzealous shock trooper. She hoped to find something to help her with the rescue mission, but she found nothing which could do the job better than her lightsaber could.

"How about one of these?"

Leia turned around to see the dropper tossing a thermal detonator up and down. She made a face at the inelegant weapon.

"Too messy," she said with an emphatic shake of her head.

The dropper shrugged. "Fair enough," she said before setting it down.

"I think I'm all set, really," Leia said once again. "You've been a great help."

The dropper frowned. "Are you sure?" she asked. "Just the blaster?"

"Well, I've got this," Leia said, smiling as she patted her lightsaber.

The dropper's eyes drifted down to her belt. When she spoke, her voice was hushed with reverence for the sacred weapon. "Do you think I could see it?"

Leia hesitated. "I probably shouldn't," she said.

"I don't want to touch it or anything," the dropper said hastily. "Could you just show me the blade? I've never seen one before."

Leia considered this for a moment. "I suppose it couldn't hurt," she said with a shrug. The dropper's face lit up when Leia unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and activated it with a press of a button. The blue blade burst to life from the hilt, the melodious hum echoing softly in the high-ceilinged weapons locker.

"Wow," the dropper said in appreciation. "It's beautiful."

"Yeah," Leia said as she looked upon the cherished blade.

She had developed a strong emotional attachment to this lightsaber in a short amount of time. When Ahsoka had first given it to her, Leia had merely seen it as something which belonged to Luke. She had been keeping it safe for him, that was all. Now, however, Leia considered the weapon to be her own. She didn't know if she would be able to give it back to Luke after she rescued him.

"Well, I ought to be going," Leia said after a minute. She sheathed the blade and returned the hilt to her belt. "Thank you for your assistance," she said, extending her hand to the dropper. "I never got your name."

"Cara Dune," the dropper said. Leia nodded as they shook, impressed by the strength of the woman's grip. "It's an honor to meet you, Your Highness."

Leia was pleasantly surprised by this. "Thank you," she said. Mothma had told her that she was considered a hero amongst the Rebels. Never before had she experienced this level of veneration, however.

"I, um… I'm Alderaanian as well," Cara said upon releasing Leia's hand.

Leia's eyes widened at this disclosure. "You are?" she asked, stunned. "How come you didn't say anything?"

Cara winced. "I don't like to talk about it," she mumbled.

Leia's expression sobered. "Yeah, me too," she said softly.

The two brooded over their own thoughts for a few moments before Cara cleared her throat and took a step toward the door. "I wish you the best of luck in your endeavors," she said. "If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to call upon me. I'd consider it my duty to serve you."

Leia attempted to smile, but all she managed to produce was a grimace. "Thank you, but that's not necessary," she said. "I don't deserve this type of treatment."

Cara frowned at Leia's humility. "I consider you to be the leader of our people," she said. She then bowed, and Leia found herself blushing at the dropper's display of devotion. "You are our queen now."

Leia had never before thought of herself in that way. The monarchy of Alderaan had died with the planet, or so she had always presumed. She could now see that this was not the case. The Alderaanian diaspora – which by all estimations numbered in the mere hundreds – saw her as a symbol to rally around.

But they were wrong. Leia was an imposter. She wasn't actually an Organa. She was the daughter of Vader – the man who had stood by while Alderaan was destroyed.

Leia was roused out of her dreary thoughts by Cara's expectant look. She was clearly waiting for her to say something. "I'm honored," she managed to say in a hoarse voice.

Cara gave her a solemn nod. She of all people understood Leia's reaction. "We Alderaanians need to stick together," Cara said.

"That we do," Leia agreed.

Cara smiled thinly at her. "I'll get out of your hair," she said.

"Thank you again," Leia said, regaining her voice.

"Think nothing of it." As Cara turned around, she pushed past someone in the doorway. "Sorry, didn't see you there," she said before departing.

Leia wasn't paying attention, however, as she was too busy wiping her eyes with her sleeve. She was therefore startled when she heard a familiar voice.

"Hey there, Your Worship."

Leia looked up sharply. "Han!" she exclaimed. "What are you… why are you still here? I thought…?"

Han closed the door to the weapons locker behind him. At once, Leia was on guard by this gesture. She wrapped her hand around the hilt of her lightsaber and took a hesitant step back. She wasn't going to allow Han to browbeat her into submission, if that's what he intended.

"I wanted to apologize," Han said, and Leia exhaled in relief. When Han turned away from the door and back toward her, he startled when he saw her hand hovering over her lightsaber. "You weren't going to, uh… you weren't going to use that on me, were you?" he asked.

Leia quickly placed her hands behind her back. "No." Han blinked once and Leia found herself smirking. She enjoyed having this power over him. "But we'll see," she added.

Han gulped nervously at this comment. "Oh," he said faintly.

Empowered, Leia narrowed her eyes as she took a step toward him. "You wanted to apologize?" she asked.

"I… yeah," Han said. He cleared his throat and summoned up some courage before continuing. "It was wrong of me to… accuse you like I did," he said.

Leia tilted her head as she considered Han's expression. He squirmed, extremely uncomfortable with the scrutiny. And why shouldn't he be? Han was entirely out of his element. She wasn't sure he had ever apologized to anyone before now. So what had changed?

"Why are you doing this?" she asked.

"I… I don't understand."

"Why are you apologizing to me?" she clarified. "You clearly don't want to do it. So why? Why not just hop on your ship and fly out of here like you said you were going to do?"

Han opened his mouth to answer, but no words came out. He took a breath to recompose himself before trying again. "Because I care about you," he said.

Leia sneered at him. "Is that so?" she asked viciously.

Han's eyes widened at her tone. "Yes," he said, more confidently this time. "I care about you, Leia."

Leia shook her head at him. "No you don't," she spat. "You've been awful to me, Han."

"Awful? I… no, I haven't –"

"You expect me to just forgive you after everything you said about me?" Leia asked. "You just expect me to fall to your feet because of one half-hearted apology?"

"It's not half-hearted!" Han insisted. "I mean it!"

"You're going to have to try harder than that," Leia said before pushing past him and marching toward the door. Wrenching it open, she turned around to give him one last withering glare. "Might I remind you, I am a princess," she informed him haughtily. "You might consider treating me like one."

With that, Leia stormed out of the weapons locker and slammed the door behind her. Taking off down the hallway, she didn't bother to brush away the tears which were streaming down her face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Star Wars (fan fiction or otherwise) desperately needs more female/female relationships. Leia and Mothma is always a fun one to explore, but Leia and Cara Dune is a new one which I find really compelling. Two strong women from Alderaan? Yes please!
> 
> On a separate note, thanks for getting this fic to 100 kudos! I'm really happy that people are enjoying it. Things are going to ramp up big time in the next couple of chapters, so be on the look out for that.


	17. Conflagration

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for taking so long to update. I've almost finished writing this story (I have two or three more chapters to write, I'd reckon – a total of around 30 chapters) so there shouldn't be any more delays in the future. I'm beginning work on another story which I'm super excited to share, so I'll let you know when that one drops in case you want to read it as well. 
> 
> Anyway, things are heating up in this story (as the chapter title suggests). I hope you enjoy where I take this, because it's certainly not what happens typically in AUs of this sort.

_One day later_

A morose Luke was seated at the island in the kitchen with a bowl of cereal in front of him. He absentmindedly twirled the spoon around the perimeter of the bowl as he stared blankly at the refrigerator in front of him.

It had been two weeks since Vader had interned him and his mother in this apartment. While Luke was used to the mundane from his moisture farming days on Tatooine, he had never before experienced boredom of this scale. At least while he was on Tatooine he had lots of hard work to do. Here in this prison, Luke had nothing to do whatsoever.

It hadn't helped that he and his mother had been avoiding each other lately. Part of that was on account of them simply growing tired of one another. Two weeks with the same person was enough to drive anyone crazy. But Luke suspected there was something more to it. His mother was disappointed in him for failing to conform to her interpretation of Vader.

She wanted him to make a choice Luke didn't want to have to make. Why must it be that he could only have one parent? Why couldn't he have both? Padmé simply wouldn't allow it, however. _Him or me,_ she would say. _You can't have it any other way, Luke._

Luke refused to give her the answer she wanted. His big show of indecision was disingenuous, however. Luke knew that if push came to shove, he would choose her over Vader. He felt guilty about that, but there was little point in denying the truth. His mother loved and cared about him. When had Vader ever expressed that type of affection or even interest? His father was a fearsome man who – while undeniably sympathetic – was emotionally distant and recluse.

Luke quickly purged these thoughts from his mind when he heard footsteps in the living room which were followed soon thereafter by high-pitched voice.

"Luke!" his mother called out. "Get in here!"

Frowning down at his soggy cereal, Luke quickly stood up and walked over toward the sink. Upon depositing the bowl, he spun around and hurried toward the living room. He arrived to find a tense scene. Vader was in the corner of the room by the hallway with his helmet tucked under his arm. Padmé – who he had last seen sitting on the couch with a holobook and a cup of tea – was now standing with her blaster clutched firmly in both hands.

"He's here," Vader said. "Can you put that away now?"

"Fine," Padmé said as she begrudgingly returned the blaster to her belt.

"You know, we don't have to do this every time," Vader pointed out as Luke walked over toward his mother. She seemed to unclench as he approached, placed at ease by his proximity.

"Don't tell me what to do," she growled.

In the past, Luke might have tried to attenuate the hostility of the situation. Now, however, he knew better than to bother. Instead, he merely stood by his mother's side and waited for Vader to get to business. He never came to visit them without a reason.

"I have a surprise for you," Vader said finally. He smiled tentatively at Padmé who unsurprisingly did not reciprocate. He waited a few moments for Padmé to engage with him, but he gave up quite quickly. "I have a meeting with the Rebel Alliance this morning," he told her.

"What?" Luke exclaimed.

Vader nodded. "That's right," he said. He was practically brimming with delight at Luke's surprise. No doubt, he had hoped that this news would impress them. Padmé, however, was more sober in her reaction.

"Are you going to be signing a truce with them?" she asked.

"Not quite yet," Vader said. "But things might move in that direction if the meeting goes well," he added hastily when Padmé frowned disapprovingly.

"That's great!" Luke said. He nudged his mother gently. "Isn't it?" he asked her.

"It's certainly unexpected," she said.

"I can't stay long. I've got to be at the Senate in half an hour. I was hoping… well, I was hoping you might want to accompany me."

Padmé frowned at this offer. "I thought we'd been over this –" she began to say, but Vader cut her off.

"I know, I know," he said, raising his left hand in surrender. "It's just that your old friend Senator Mothma is going to be there, and I thought you might want to see her."

Padmé blinked a few times in surprise. She seemed to be taken aback by Vader's consideration. "I, uh… well…"

"You're friends with Mothma?" Luke asked. "You never told me about that."

"We were colleagues," Padmé said. "I wouldn't say we were friends, exactly."

"You're being modest," Vader said. "All of your colleagues adored you, Padmé."

Padmé blushed at the praise. Luke shared a furtive glance with Vader, each of them encouraged by how well she had received the compliment. Could it be that they had made some progress? Had Vader been slowly chipping away at Padmé's frigid exterior? Up to this point, Luke hadn't seen any evidence to suggest that he had, but his mother was a difficult woman to get a read on.

"I, um… I don't think it's a good idea," Padmé said. "I'd be a distraction."

"How so?"

"Everyone thinks I'm dead."

"Not even the Rebels know?"

"Nobody but Ahsoka and Rex knows." Padmé's expression turned bitter. "Not even my family knows, I might add."

Vader winced at the accusatory tone. "Perhaps, you're right," he said, disregarding the latter comment. "But we need to start planning for this."

"Planning for what?"

"Revealing you publicly."

Padmé frowned. "Why would you do that?" she asked. "If I'm your prisoner, why bother?"

Vader pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "You're my wife, Padmé, not my prisoner," he insisted.

"How can you say that?" Padmé asked shrilly. "You don't allow Luke and me to leave!"

"Because it's dangerous," Vader tried to say, but Padmé refused to listen.

"Why don't you stop it with the games and put a chip in me like your mother had?" she asked. Vader looked as if he had just been slapped across the face. He narrowed his eyes contemptuously before stuffing his helmet back on "Go ahead and do it!" Padmé yelled after him when he turned around and made to leave. "Make me your slave! I know you want to! Just do it already!"

"Mom, stop," Luke pleaded. He grabbed her arm and restrained her when she tried to run after Vader toward the patio. "Don't go after him," Luke told her. "It won't help."

Padmé shrugged him off but didn't pursue Vader down the hallway. Instead she huffed angrily and sat back down on the couch. "The audacity," she mumbled to herself as she shook her head.

Luke glanced down the hallway before sitting down next to her. "What did you mean by that?" he asked, speaking softly for fear that Vader might somehow overhear.

"What did I mean by what?"

"About the chip? And about… his mother?"

Padmé clenched her jaw and looked down at her lap. "He's such a hypocrite," she said.

"How so?" Luke pried.

Padmé sighed before standing up. She paced away a few lengths before spinning around to look him in the eye. "How much did your aunt and uncle tell you about him?" she asked.

Caught off guard by this question, Luke took a few moments to answer. "Um… not much," he said. "I told you everything they told me. They just said he was a navigator on a spice freighter, that's all."

"Nothing about who he was before that? Nothing about his mother?"

"They just said she died," Luke said. "Her grave was right outside our homestead."

Padmé nodded. "Anakin was the one who buried her there," she said in a distant voice.

"He did?" Luke asked, eyes widening. Owen and Beru had never told him that.

Padmé turned to look out the window. Luke followed her gaze to see a pristine blue sky. The lambent morning sun was baring down on them, causing Luke to squint. "There's a reason why I don't tell you things, Luke," Padmé said. She considered the skyline for a moment longer before turning back around, her figure blocking out the sun. "Vader's not someone you want to look at too closely," she said, chuckling humorlessly.

"What do you mean? Why not?"

"He's a walking contradiction," Padmé said as she crossed the room back toward him. She took a seat on the opposite couch and rubbed her forehead wearily. "He and his mother were slaves," she told him.

Luke was sure he must have misheard her. "Slaves?" he repeated.

"And yet he doesn't have a problem with locking us up in here," she snarled. "I can't tell if he honestly doesn't see the parallels or if he just doesn't care about being a hypocrite."

"That can't be," Luke said dazedly. "I thought…"

"Thought what?"

Tatooine was a highly stratified society, and there was very little intermingling between the different hierarchies. While the slave population was sizable, Luke hadn't interacted much with them. He had seen slaves from time to time in Anchorhead, but he had never gotten to know any of them particularly well. The concept of slavery had always just made him uncomfortable.

"He doesn't deserve sympathy for this," Padmé said. "He may have been a slave, but he supported an Empire which propagated it on a massive scale."

Luke looked down as he processed this. Truth be told, sympathy hadn't been his initial instinct. Instead, he had simply been shocked. But now that he thought about it, he couldn't help but share his mother's point of view. How could Vader be so willing to keep them here under lock and key considering his own experiences?

"He has no moral compass," Padmé continued her campaign, oblivious that Luke already agreed with her. "He'll pretend like he does, but that's only because he wants us to think he's not all that bad. But he is, Luke. He's a terrible, terrible man. The things he's done… the lives he's destroyed… there can be no redemption for that."

"He's never going to let us go," Luke said. The reality had just sunk in for him. He was going to be a prisoner for the rest of his life.

Vader had no qualms with hypocrisy whatsoever. He would keep them as his own personal slaves out of sheer desperation. Because he was desperate, wasn't he? Desperate for a family, a friend, a supporter. He had none of those things. Neither Padmé nor Luke would be able to be that person for him, but Vader would keep them here anyway on the off chance that one of them might thaw.

"That's why we have to escape," his mother said. She leaned forward and placed a hand on his knee. "I'm going to get us out of here, Luke. You just have to trust me."

"But how?" he asked.

Padmé didn't get a chance to answer because just then a horribly loud noise blared to life. Startled, Luke jumped up to his feet and covered his ears with his hands.

"What's happening?" Luke asked, yelling over the deafening sound.

Padmé seemed just as bewildered as him. Getting to her feet, she ran down the hallway toward her bedroom.

"Where are you going?" Luke called after her. Unsure what to do, Luke elected to go in the opposite direction. Taking off down the hallway toward the patio, Luke winced as the sound grew even louder. He seemed to be approaching the source.

Arriving at the veranda, Luke craned his head in awe when he saw the formerly invisible shields rippling around the apartment. Concentric waves were radiating outward from a point at the base. As he looked down toward the epicenter, Luke's mouth fell open when he saw who it was hacking away at the shields with a blue lightsaber

"Leia?" he asked. What was she doing here? And was that his lightsaber she was using? Surely he must be dreaming, but not even in his dreams could he have conceived of such a bizarre scenario. What was going on?

Luke was about to rush forward when something caught his eye. Looking up toward the sky, he gasped.

"Leia!" he yelled despite knowing that she could hear him on account to the shields. "Run!"

A shiny black shuttle was descending toward the apartment. Hearing the sound, Leia stopped attempting to penetrate the shields and spun around to see it for herself.

"Run!"

Vader had returned.

* * *

The plan had quickly gone awry. Having arrived on the surface of Imperial Center, Leia slipped away from the Alliance's delegation and took a speeder to the address which Ahsoka had provided for her. Up to this point, she had been surprised by how smoothly things had been going.

Upon arriving at the apartment, however, Leia's fate quickly turned sour. The moment she alighted from her speeder, Leia's comlink had vibrated. Frustrated, Leia tore the device off her belt and activated it.

"What?"

" _Leia, you need to get out of there now,_ " said Mothma's panicked voice. " _Vader's a no show!_ "

"Where is he?"

" _I have no idea! You could be going to him for all I know!_ "

Leia considered her options before electing to turn off the comlink. Tossing it aside, Leia hurried up the stairs and toward the apartment. She had come this far, hadn't she? There was no way she was going to turn away now!

At this thought, Leia ran face first into something invisible. Losing her balance, Leia tumbled down the stairs and landed flat on her back. Grimacing in pain, she propped herself up on her elbows and looked up to see a massive blue dome separating her from the veranda.

Leia was beginning to panic now. What was she going to do? She couldn't penetrate these shields! Legs wobbling as she got back to her feet, Leia pulled her blaster and opened fire at the dome. Unsurprisingly, the bolt had no effect whatsoever. A shock wave rippled outward at the point of impact but no damage was inflicted. In a move of utmost desperation, Leia drew her lightsaber and activated the blade.

Charging back up the stairs, Leia raised her lightsaber over her head and slashed it down at the shields. A bright red slash mark flared up at the point of contact, giving Leia cause for optimism. She gave it another go, and the wound in the shields deepened further still. Again, and again, and again…

Leia suddenly froze mid-swing. Her whole body went cold and goosebumps erupted on the back of her neck. Lowering the blade, she turned around slowly to see a terrifying sight.

A jet black speeder was hovering above her own at the edge of the patio. Standing upright in the driver's seat was Darth Vader himself. The colossus of a man was staring down at her with his red lightsaber in hand. Leia was paralyzed with fear, unable to move a muscle as Vader loomed above.

"Where did you get that blade?" he asked in a booming voice.

Leia didn't respond. Instead, she reached for her blaster with shaking hands and pointed it at Vader's head. He easily deflected the bolt when she opened fire, cutting it down with his blade before propelling himself into the air. Leia watched in awe as Vader landed softly at the base of the stairs.

"Wait –" she tried to say, but Vader didn't give her a chance to explain herself. Lightsaber raised over his shoulder, Vader leapt up the stairs toward her. Leia ducked, barely managing to avoid the brutal blow aimed at her neck. She staggered away from Vader and desperately held her lightsaber up in a futile attempt to defend herself.

"You're no Jedi!" Vader roared as their blades clashed. Leia grimaced as she attempted in vain to push him away. "That doesn't belong to you!"

"You don't understand!" Leia pleaded as Vader swung at her a second time. Leia jumped out of the way and tripped over the edge of the stairs. The lightsaber went flying out of her hands as she tumbled down the stairs for a second time. Flipping over onto her back, Leia's eyes widened in terror when she saw Vader descending the stairs toward her.

"How did you find this place? Who sent you?"

"I can explain!"

Leia rolled away when Vader's lightsaber plunged down toward her. She leapt to her feet with surprising grace as the red blade went cutting through the marble ground. Seeing her lightsaber dangling on the precipice of the patio, Leia ran to go collect it.

"Stop right there!"

The lightsaber was suddenly lifted into the air and went soaring past her head. Leia spun around to see Vader snag the hilt out of the air as he marched toward her.

"No, don't –"

Vader didn't listen to her. Rearing the deactivated hilt backward, he smashed it into Leia's temple. She vaguely registered falling backward when everything went black.

* * *

"No! No! Stop it! Stop it!"

Luke was pleading hysterically with Vader as he watched him attack the princess. His cries went unheard, however. Leia was on her back at the base of the stairs and Vader had his lightsaber raised in preparation for the final blow. He couldn't watch…

"Luke! Get out of the way!"

Swiveling his head to the voice, he saw his mother running toward him. She was dressed in all of her Mandalorian armor save for the helmet which had been lost in the Imperial Palace.

"Mom! He's going to kill her!" Returning his attention to the duel, Luke saw that Leia had somehow evaded Vader's lightsaber and was running away toward the edge of the patio.

"Get out of the way!"

Luke did as she asked. Raising her right arm, Padmé unleashed a wave of flames toward the spot in the shields where Leia had been previously attempting to cut through with her lightsaber. A searing heat hit Luke's face, and he had to back away as the shields began to melt away.

"Stop right there!" he heard Vader bellow.

Looking away from the flames, Luke saw Vader summoning a lightsaber to his outstretched hand.

"No wait –"

Vader smashed the butt of the lightsaber into Leia's forehead and the princess collapsed to the ground. Luke watched in horror as Vader loomed over her prone figure. His red lightsaber was still humming in his right hand. He could kill her if he wanted…

"Get away from her!"

Vader spun around to see that Padmé had made her way through the shields. His eyes widened and he jumped out of the way just as she fired her blaster at him. He wasn't quick enough, however, and the bolt went tearing through his mechanical left shoulder.

"Stop!" Luke yelled as he ran after her through the fuming hole in the shields.

Padmé disregarded him and opened fire a second time. This time, however, Vader was better prepared to defend himself. He deflected the bolt with his lightsaber and thrust out his left hand at Padmé. Her wrist twitched, and the blaster went soaring out of her hands and over the edge of the patio. Unfazed, Padmé raised her right arm and unleashed a second wave of fire from her flamethrower.

The flames didn't reach Vader, however. Left hand still extended outward, Vader somehow managed to halt the fiery salvo. Red hot tendrils of fire licked Vader's mechanical fingers as they coalesced into a billowing cloud in front of him. Luke came to a stop by his mother's side and felt his mouth fall open at the awesome display. Padmé too seemed to be stunned, and she quickly turned the flamethrower off. Exhausted, Vader collapsed to his knees and looked up at both of them as the flames dissipated.

"Well?" he asked. "Do you still want to escape? Now's your chance."

Luke and Padmé both glanced over at the speeder parked up against the patio. Leia must have taken it here. How she had known to come here at all, however, Luke hadn't the faintest idea.

"Did you kill her?" Padmé asked, her voice hoarse as she took a step forward.

Vader glanced over at Leia's unconscious form behind him. "She's alive," he said.

Padmé followed Vader's gaze toward Leia. "Get up," she ordered, pointing her still-hot flamethrower at Vader.

Vader did so, grimacing as he clutched his wounded shoulder. Once he was out of the way, Padmé and Luke both hurried forward toward Leia.

"Leia?" Padmé asked as she fell to her knees at the princess' side. "Leia, can you hear me?" Padmé took Leia's face into her hands and inspected the burgeoning bruise above her left eyebrow. "Oh, Leia," she whispered as she brushed her thumb over the wound.

Luke furrowed his brow in confusion. Why was his mother acting this way with Leia? She barely knew the princess.

"We need to get her inside," Padmé said. "Luke, could you –"

"Allow me."

Luke turned around to see that Vader had taken off his helmet and had deactivated the shields. Taking a few steps toward Leia and Padmé, Vader kneeled down and scooped the younger woman's body up with his right hand. Luke gave Vader a wide berth as he casually tossed Leia over his shoulder and began walking up the stairs toward the apartment.

"What… what just happened?" Luke asked once Padmé had stood back up.

She gave him a nervous look. "I'll explain later," she mumbled. Without elaborating any further, Padmé followed after Vader and left a stunned Luke in her wake.


	18. Nothing but Lies

Luke was the last to return to the apartment. Upon arriving in the living room, he saw Vader had set Leia down on the couch which he used as his bed. In an oddly considerate gesture, Vader seemed to have draped a blanket over the unconscious princess. He had set his helmet down on the opposite couch and was now looming over Leia with a curious expression. Padmé was watching apprehensively from a few meters away.

"How did she find this place?" Vader asked, eyes still fixated on Leia. When Padmé didn't respond, he looked up at her with a clenched jaw. "Padmé?" he asked in a low voice. "How?"

Padmé pursed her lips and looked at Luke for support. "I… I don't –"

"I've been in contact with the Rebellion," Luke interjected.

Padmé's eyes widened. "Luke, no –"

"What?" Vader asked, sidestepping the couch and approaching him.

Luke gulped with fear and instinctively took a step closer to his mother. He had to prevaricate to Vader on her behalf. Who knew what Vader would do to her if he learned the truth.

"You heard me," Luke said, the intended defiance undermined by the tremor in his voice.

Vader glared at him silently for several long moments. It didn't seem like he knew how to react. On the one hand, he was obviously angry. On the other, however, it was clear that he didn't want to jeopardize the fledgling relationship he had with him. Should he berate him for his treachery, he would only push Luke further away and help solidify his loyalty to his mother.

The tension was interrupted when they heard Leia groan from the couch. Looking away from Vader, Luke saw her beginning to stir, both hands pressed to her forehead as she attempted to sit upright. Seizing the opportunity to escape, Luke hurried past Vader and toward the couch.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, kneeling down by Leia's side.

Leia opened her eyes a fraction to see him looking up at her. "Luke?" she asked. "What… what happened?"

"You're going to be okay," he told her. Luke glanced up at his parents who were awkwardly standing next to each other – Vader wringing his wrists and Padmé chewing her lower lip anxiously. "Could one of you get some pain meds?" he asked them. "Please?"

They both looked at each other. "That's going to have to be you," Vader said to Padmé.

"What? Why?"

"Do you think I'm an idiot? There's no way I'm leaving you three alone."

Padmé gnashed her teeth but nevertheless complied. She gave him and Leia one last look before spinning around and hurrying down the hallway toward her bedroom.

Luke returned his attention to Leia once she was gone. The princess was pressing her left hand against the bruise on her forehead and had a severe grimace etched across her face.

"Can I see?" Luke asked gently.

Leia nodded and gingerly lowered her hand. Luke tried not to react, but he was afraid he failed miserably. The bruise had turned a dark shade of purple and the left side of her forehead was swelling at an alarming rate.

"You're going to need some ice," Luke said. He cautiously looked up to meet Vader's unwavering gaze.

"Go," he instructed.

Luke hesitated, not wanting to leave Leia alone with Vader. He wouldn't hurt her, would he? No more than he already had, that is.

"I'll be fine," Leia assured him. "Some ice would really help."

"Are you sure?" Luke asked in a whisper.

Leia nodded. "It's okay," she said.

Luke pursed his lips but decided not to object any further. Standing up, he kept his eyes on Vader as he backed away slowly. Only when he reached the edge of the living room did he turn his back on him as he hurried into the kitchen.

* * *

The moment Luke disappeared into the kitchen, Vader took two long strides toward the couch. Despite insisting that she would be fine, Leia couldn't help but shy away in fear as the massive man sat down on the couch opposite her. She pushed the blanket aside and sat upright, determined to appear respectable at the very least.

"You seem very confident I won't kill you," Vader said.

Leia didn't respond as she took a long look at his face. She had seen it once back on Cloud City when he had revealed himself to Luke. He had been quite far away then, however. Now she could make out his features much better. Once again, she registered how ruggedly handsome he was. He had a sharp, stubbled jaw line and piercing blue eyes. His tawny hair was long and unkempt, giving him a youthful element to his otherwise austere mien. The similarities with Luke were of course apparent to her, but upon closer inspection she could also see herself in this man's face – not in the physical sense, perhaps, but on a separate, deeper level.

Perhaps unnerved by her scrutiny, Vader narrowed his eyes as he leaned back into the cushion of the couch. "I will not hesitate to kill you if you remain uncooperative," he threatened.

"You're not going to kill me," Leia said confidently

Vader flared his nostrils at her temerity. "Oh no?"

Leia shook her head. "You won't touch me," she said. "You didn't on the Death Star, and you won't now."

"That bruise on your forehead suggests otherwise," Vader said with a frown.

Leia smirked but didn't get a chance to respond because just then both Luke and Padmé returned to the living room. Craning her neck to the side, Leia found herself quivering with jittery energy as she laid eyes on her mother for the first time, holoprojection notwithstanding.

Her physical beauty clashed jarringly with her depressive demeanor. She at once looked exactly like she expected and nothing like she envisioned; based on pictures alone, she knew that physically this was Padmé Amidala, but in all other ways, Leia could tell that this was not the same person whom she had idolized since childhood. The radiance and vivacity which her pictures had exuded – miraculously unimpaired through the holographic medium – were no longer present. In comparison, this woman was no more than a husk. The charm which Leia had found so appealing had been sapped right out of her.

"I got you some water."

Leia blinked a few times and refocused her eyes to see that her mother had approached with a vial of pills in one hand and a glass of water in the other. Leia noticed that she had changed out of Fett's Mandalorian armor and was now wearing a simple black-sleeved shirt with an accompanying pair of nylon pants. Padmé gave her a concerned look, clearly fearing that she hadn't heard her.

"Thank you," Leia said hastily, her face reddening as she reached up to take the water.

"Don't forget the pills," Padmé said, popping the vial open and depositing two shiny red capsules into the palm of her hand. "These will help with the headache."

Leia accepted the pills and quickly drained them down. Clutching the cool glass with both hands, Leia looked up to see Luke standing at the opposite arm of the couch.

"Here's the ice," he said, offering her an opaque bag. Handing the glass back off to Padmé, Leia graciously accepted the ice and pressed it firmly against her bruise. The throbbing pain partially abated, replaced by a bitter cold which practically froze her skin.

"Luke, she needs a hand towel," Padmé reprimanded. She reached out to gently pull Leia's hand away from her forehead. "You'll get frostbite," she told her.

Leia looked up at Padmé with wide eyes. This was truly a surreal experience. Nobody had mothered her like this in years. Breha had stopped at Leia's insistence when she turned sixteen and first entered the realm of politics. It had embarrassed her then, but it sure didn't embarrass her now. Who knew she had been craving for this sort of attention for all that time since?

Luke returned from the kitchen quickly. She thanked him as she took the hand towel and wrapped it around the bag of ice. Returning it to her forehead, she let out a sigh and sunk back into the couch. She felt horribly lightheaded, and were it not for the excitement of being united with her mother, Leia was sure she would have passed out long ago.

"Sit down," Vader ordered from the opposite couch. "Both of you. Now."

Luke and Padmé shared a look. "You're not going to punish Luke for this," Padmé said, placing her hands on her hips and turning to give Vader a withering glare. "I won't allow it."

"I never said anything about punishing Luke," Vader said, brow furrowed angrily as he matched Padmé's astringency of tone and attitude.

Padmé stared him down for a few moments longer before conceding to his demand. Leia scooted aside to allow her mother to sit down on her left wing. Luke did the same on her right, and the three of them were now tightly packed on the couch. Leia felt supremely uncomfortable with the proximity. Should she allow their legs to touch or not? Would that be weird?

"I want one of you to explain this to me," Vader said, his eyes slowly scanning from left to right until he fixed his gaze on Luke. "Well?" he asked.

"I already told you everything," Luke said. "I called the Rebellion for help."

Leia frowned at this comment. That was a lie, wasn't it? It had been Padmé who had called for assistance, not Luke. She instantly regretted expressing her confusion, however, because Vader caught onto it instantly.

"Do you have another side to this story, Princess?" he asked her.

Vader's intense gaze rendered her frozen. She opened her mouth, but no words came out as fear seized her larynx.

"You will tell me what I need to know," Vader growled at her.

Much to Leia's relief, her mother rushed to her defense. "Don't speak to her like that," she said.

Vader's eyes darted to Padmé. "Perhaps you could help elucidate this situation," he said.

"I don't know anything," she lied at once.

"Why do I doubt that?"

Padmé's expression turned steely. "What does it matter to you?" she asked. "You already know I want out of here."

"But why her?"

Padmé blinked in confusion. "What do you mean?" she asked.

Vader rose up out of his couch. The three of them craned their necks and collectively blanched with fear when he pulled out a lightsaber. "Why did you have this?" he asked, extending the weapon so they could all see. Leia glanced down at the hilt and noticed that the base was glistening with blood – her own, she supposed.

"Luke dropped it on the sail barge," Leia said, unable to find a reason to lie about this.

"He did," Vader agreed. "Yet why do _you_ have it?"

Leia faltered when she realized what Vader was getting at. He wanted her to reveal that she was training to be a Jedi.

"Tano gave you this weapon, didn't she?"

Leia nodded. "She did."

"Why?"

"You know why."

Vader frowned at her attitude. Returning the lightsaber to his belt, Vader leaned down toward her so that their faces were merely inches apart.

"Tano is weak." His breath felt hot against her cheek, but Leia refused to yield. Instead, she heightened her resolve and leaned into the confrontation. "She clings to the past," Vader hissed. "She wouldn't have given you my lightsaber unless she thought you deserved it more than she. So tell me. Why did _you_ deserve this lightsaber?"

A humorless smile stretched across Leia's lips. "I think you know the answer to that too," she said, whispering.

Vader's belligerent expression faltered. "I don't think I do," he said.

"No?" she goaded.

Vader's face twitched and he quickly retreated. Standing upright, he took a step away from Leia so he could get a better look at her. She saw his eyes widen with understanding, the shock of the discovery causing his jaw to slacken and his face to pale.

"Hello, Father," Leia said.

* * *

Luke didn't understand what had just happened. He looked back and forth between Vader and Leia as he attempted to make sense of Leia's words. Why had she called him that? Was it just some sort of a joke, or did she mean that…

"I don't understand," Vader said, vocalizing Luke's own bewilderment. "This… this isn't possible. You're not… I would have…"

"You would have known?" Leia asked. "But you did, didn't you? Somehow, you must have always known."

Vader shook his head as he collapsed down onto the couch. Luke's eyes widened as he realized that Leia was saying exactly what it sounded like.

"Padmé, did you know about this?" Vader asked. When his mother didn't respond, Vader's expression turned stormy. "You hid this from me?"

"I had to protect her from you," Padmé said, undeterred by Vader's wrath.

"But she's my daughter! I had a right to –"

Vader stopped abruptly when he saw Leia wince, his booming voice no doubt causing her great discomfort.

"Maybe you should lie down," Luke suggested.

Leia opened her mouth to protest, but Padmé quickly backed him up. "Luke's right," she said, placing a hand on Leia's shoulder. "You need rest."

Leia's pugnacity melted away at Padmé's touch. She lowered the bag of ice from her forehead and nodded. "Okay," she said in a feeble voice. Glancing up at Vader, she gave him a look as if she expected a challenge.

Vader didn't object, however. "I, uh… I'm sorry about hurting you," he said woodenly. Luke and Padmé both looked up sharply, astonished by this apology. Leia, on the other hand, narrowed her eyes contemptuously.

"Liar," she snarled.

Vader was initially taken aback by her hostility, but his surprise was quickly replaced with indignation. "You think I'm not genuine?" he asked.

"Leia, please," Padmé said. "Don't do this now."

"Now is as fine a time as ever," Leia dismissed.

"Leia –" Luke tried to interject, but she didn't let him.

"I'm not going to accept this!" she said, spinning her head toward him. "He doesn't have the right to apologize after what he did!"

He glanced at Vader who seemed to share his confusion. "What are you talking about?" Luke asked.

Leia's eyes flashed furiously. "You don't know?" she asked incredulously.

"Know what?"

"He hit her!" Leia exclaimed.

"Her? You mean… Mom?"

"I did no such thing!" Vader insisted.

"Don't deny it!" Leia exploded. "I saw the bruise! It looked just like this!" She pointed at her own bruise and Vader glanced up at it.

"Who told you that?" When Leia didn't answer, Vader stood up off the couch for a second time. He turned his glare toward Padmé. "Did you tell her this?" he asked her. "Did you tell her that I hit my own wife?"

"I don't have to answer that," Padmé said as she stood up as well. "Leia, come with me."

"No," Vader snapped. He took a step toward Padmé, and Luke quickly jumped out of his seat in alarm. "You lied to her," Vader said, leaning down so that he could get in Padmé's face. "Why even bother? You have so much to work with, why make something up like that? A wife beater? Really?"

"Oh, like you've never hurt me before," she shot back.

Vader's face turned taut. He glowered at Padmé a moment longer before pulling away. "Lies," he said to himself. "Nothing but lies." With that, Vader spun around and marched away. The three of them craned their heads and watched as he disappeared down the hallway leading to the patio.

"Let's go," Padmé said, turning toward Leia. "I'll bring you to the bedroom."

"You lied?" Leia asked. "Why would you do that?"

Padmé placed her hands on her hips. "You believe his word more than mine?"

Leia hesitated as she looked up at Luke. He gave her a pointed look, hoping that she'd take his hint and drop the issue. She had no idea how defensive Padmé could get at the mere insinuation of wrongdoing. There was little point in confronting her on this. That being said, it was clear that his mother had indeed lied. Vader hadn't been the one responsible for that bruise, Palpatine had. Why would she lie about something like that?

"Come," Padmé instructed, beckoning Leia to her feet.

Leia seemed to take Luke's silent advice as she complied without further comment. Satisfied, Padmé turned around to lead Leia to the bedroom. As she followed after her, Leia glanced back at Luke – her expressive eyes conveying the very question he had on his own mind: Which one should they trust? The liar or the monster?

Perhaps the right answer was neither.

* * *

Leia woke up with a start. She was breathing heavily as she stared up at the ceiling. Her body was coated in a sheen of sweat, causing the sheets to stick to her skin. She attempted to sit upright, but instantly regretted it when a pulsating pain erupted in her forehead.

"Ow!" she exclaimed, shutting her eyes tight as she pressed her hands to her bruise.

"Take it easy," a voice said. "Deep breaths. The pain will pass."

Opening her eyes, she exhaled slowly and allowed herself to relax.

"What time is it?" she asked the ceiling.

"Four in the morning," the voice replied.

"What are you doing here?"

"Looking after you."

Leia clenched her jaw and pushed herself upright in one swift motion. She groaned with pain as a debilitating wave of lightheadedness threatened to push her back down into the mattress. She persevered, however, pressing her back against the headrest and taking another deep, stabilizing breath.

"You shouldn't have done that."

"You shouldn't have hit me."

Leia made out the ghost of a smile on Vader's shadowy face. He was standing vigil along the west wall in front of a broad, curved window. Natural moonlight was streaming in through the blinds, and because of that, Vader's figure was illuminated in segments – light and dark alternating from his head down to his torso.

"How long was I asleep?" Leia asked him.

"About twelve hours, I think." A curious expression passed Vader's face which Leia wasn't able to identify. Affection, perhaps? "You looked so peaceful," he said. "I didn't want to wake you."

Leia swallowed hard at this comment. "Where are the others?"

"In the living room," Vader said, nodding toward the door. "Your mother didn't want to leave, but she fell asleep about an hour ago. I had to carry her to the couch."

"You shouldn't have touched her."

Vader shrugged. "She needed the sleep," he said meekly.

Leia unclenched her fists which had been grasping the blanket. She took a moment to consider the cadence of her breathing – the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest causing her pain to ebb away with each completed cycle. She felt at ease. But it wasn't in _spite_ of Vader's presence, she realized. It was _because_ of it.

"Why did she lie?" Leia asked after a minute of comfortable silence. When Vader didn't answer, she turned to meet his gaze. "You never struck her, did you?"

"No," he said simply.

"Then why lie?"

Vader sighed. "You'll have to ask her that."

"I did."

"And?"

"She denied it."

She would have expected Vader to pounce on this information, but he remained restrained. He considered her for a moment before taking a step toward her bedside. His face became visible to her and she found herself mesmerized by the distinct countenance. His eyes were twinkling much like Luke's so often did, but with an additional element of melancholy.

"You mustn't blame her," he said. "She's a scarred person."

"And what about you?" Leia asked. "Are you scarred as well?"

Vader's gentle expression sobered. "Perhaps mangled would be a more fitting metaphor," he said grimly.

Leia allowed these heavy words to linger. Vader seemed to be just as fascinated in her as she was with him. He stared at her unblinkingly, absorbing every detail of her face. In turn, Leia found herself unable to look away – Vader's eyes acting like tractor beams.

"Your mother despises me," Vader said finally, and Leia felt herself be released from his enchantment. "And your brother fears me." He paused to take one step closer to Leia, her figure now bathed in shadow as his head blocked out the moonlight behind him. "But what about you? What do you see?" he asked.

A snide comment rose to her lips, but Leia hesitated. What did she see in this man? She could of course see him through Luke and Padmé's eyes: he was fearsome, dangerous, and monstrous. She knew that to be true based on everything she knew about Darth Vader. But when she looked up at _this_ man, none of those adjectives seemed to apply. Instead she saw him as being solicitous, introspective, and, as bizarre as it may sound, gentle. Was this who Ahsoka had told her about? Was this Anakin Skywalker?

"I don't know what I see," Leia said finally.

Vader's lips curled into a triumphant smile. "Then allow me to show you," he said.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you like my writing, be on the lookout for my newest story which I plan on posting either Sunday or Monday. Fair warning, it's quite a bit different from this story. It's part romance, part drama starring Luke and Mara Jade. So if that's your thing, please check it out!


	19. The Great Game

Luke woke up that morning to find his mother asleep on the opposite couch. Squinting because of the copious sunlight streaming through the windows, he pushed his blanket away and sat upright. It took him a moment before he remembered the events of the previous afternoon.

After the fireworks on the patio and the subsequent revelation that Leia was his sister – a fact he still couldn't get his head around – things had mellowed out quite quickly. Vader and Padmé had each insisted upon waiting by Leia's bedside for the rest of the afternoon, ostensibly out of parental obligation, but Luke knew they were really doing it to compete for Luke's appreciation. They wanted to prove to him that they were a more caring parent than their counterpart. They were playing a bizarre game, and Luke didn't want any part in it.

He hated being the pawn in all this. He was powerless, stuck in the middle between his two indomitable parents. The only choice he had before him was which parent he would choose, and no matter how much Luke dreaded this choice, he had already made up his mind. Yes, he had been disenchanted by his mother's lie to Leia about Vader hitting her, but he understood why she had done it. The urgency of the situation could not be properly conveyed without some embellishment.

Even so, it made Luke question certain things that his mother had told him. If she had lied to Leia about this one thing, wouldn't it stand to reason that she had lied to him about something as well? But Luke couldn't believe that. Had she wanted to lie to him about Vader's monstrous exploits, she would have done so by now. Instead she had refused to tell him anything about what had happened between her and Vader. He suspected the subject was too painful for her to broach.

He smiled wanly when his mother let out a soft snore as she shifted position. Determined not to wake her, Luke stood up as quietly as he was able and tiptoed away. He paused at the trifurcation, unsure whether he should proceed to the kitchen, the bedroom, or to the patio. His instincts led him left toward the latter.

His bare feet pattered against the cool marble floor as he made his way down the grand hallway. He held a hand up to his eyes, blinded by the amber glow of the morning sun reflecting against the veranda. Stopping a few feet away from the stairs, he adjusted to the light and made out a figure seated on one of the semicircular couches below.

She was wearing a silken gown which he recognized as belonging to his mother. Her hair was damp, tendrils spilling out of a messy bun atop her head and undulating down her shoulders in thick brown ringlets. She hadn't seemed to notice his arrival as her gaze was still fixated on the busy skyline. Luke elected not to reveal himself for the time being. Instead, he took the opportunity to stare at her unabashedly.

He loved her from the moment he had met her, and he was fairly sure she felt the same way about him. It wasn't a romantic love, although Luke wasn't entirely sure how he knew that. They had an intimate yet platonic relationship which he cherished above all others. Friendship hardly seemed to be the appropriate term. They were each other's confidante and sympathetic companion.

Leia was the only person in the Rebellion with whom he felt comfortable discussing his innermost thoughts; anxieties, qualms, and nightmares – he shared all of them with her. In turn, Leia had allowed herself to open up to him a fraction. He knew she withheld things from him and he knew that she was lying whenever she said she was fine. Yet this never bothered Luke. He knew that by sharing his own personal struggles – of which he knew to be minuscule in relation to Leia's – he was indirectly helping ameliorate her suffering. There was a silent pact which existed between them: Luke provided the metaphorical liquor, Leia the metaphorical glass, and together they would drink away their demons.

It was a largely ineffectual method – he knew that what Leia really needed was therapy, not him – but he was glad that he could at least provide this service for her. After Alderaan, she had been determined to keep everyone around her at arm's length. He alone had been able to reach her. He alone had been able to help her. He alone had been able to love her.

And now he understood why. She had lost everything that day. Her home, her friends, her life as she knew it – yet the most devastating loss of all had been the loss of her family. She had unwittingly sought him out, her brother, to fill the gaping hole in her heart. What a curious twist of fate that had been – to have one family wrenched away only to discover another. Perhaps that was the universe's way of making things right.

After several minutes, Leia finally turned her head to see him standing at the top of the stairs. "Luke," she said, smiling.

Luke felt his heart skip a beat. He had always marveled at the princess' beauty, but now it felt wrong for him to even acknowledge that.

"Uh… morning," he said.

Leia's expression faltered at this awkward greeting. "What's wrong?" she asked.

Luke allowed himself to relax. Nothing had changed between them. Leia was still his friend. "This is just… so weird," he confessed as he walked down the steps toward her. Taking a seat on the opposite couch, he gave Leia a reassuring smile. "I'm not upset, just… confused."

Leia nodded in understanding. "I felt that too when I first found out," she said.

"When was that?"

"A little over a week ago."

"Who told you?"

"Ahsoka."

"Who is she exactly? Everyone keeps talking about her, but no one's ever told me who she is."

"Amidala never told you?"

Luke faltered at this. It would have been strange to hear Leia refer to Padmé as her mother, but for some reason it was still jarring to hear her call her by her regnal name like that.

"Um… no, Mom didn't say much," he said.

Leia arched an eyebrow. "You've gotten really close to her, haven't you?"

Luke detected a hint of judgement in her tone. He frowned, unsure what had warranted such a critique. "I have," he said, definitive in his loyalty to his mother.

"I'm glad," Leia said flatly. Before Luke could tell whether she was being sarcastic or not, Leia studiously diverted the conversation back to his original question. "Ahsoka was Vader's Padawan apprentice," she told him.

Surprised by the shift in subject, Luke took a moment to lower his shields before registering this comment. "His apprentice?" he repeated slowly. "You mean back when he was a Jedi?"

Leia nodded. "She knew all about his secret relationship, so she was able to put the pieces together."

"And that's when she gave you my lightsaber?"

Leia gave him a sheepish look. "Technically, it's mine just as much as it is yours," she said.

"How do you figure that?" Luke asked, perplexed more so than indignant at the assertion.

"It belongs to our father," she explained. Luke stiffened. He wasn't sure which word had caused him more surprise – 'our' or 'father'. Oblivious to his discomfort, Leia continued on. "And since both of us are training to be Jedi, it's only fair that –"

"Wait, what?" Luke interrupted. "You're training to be a Jedi? Since when?"

"Since…" Leia trailed off as she scrunched up her forehead in contemplation. "I guess it's been a week now? After Tatooine."

"A week? That must have been a month ago," Luke said. To be fair, he had lost all sense of time while he had been trapped in this apartment. Could it only have been a week? Surely it had been longer than that. It certainly felt longer.

"Maybe," Leia shrugged. "Either way, Ahsoka started training me."

"But why?"

Leia gave him a strange look. "To rescue you, obviously."

"Maybe you should have trained for longer."

Leia reached out and slapped him across the shoulder. It was good-natured, but it did actually sting a bit. Perhaps the princess didn't know quite how much punch she really packed.

"So you can use the Force too?" Luke asked her.

"I guess," Leia said unconfidently. "I mean, I should be able to, shouldn't I?"

"Maybe," Luke mused. He didn't know what made someone able to use the Force. Was it simply genetic like Leia was suggesting? That would make sense in Luke's case, but what about for others? Did Ben and Yoda both descend from Force-sensitives as well?

"I haven't been able to move anything with the Force yet, but I'm working on it," Leia said. Her tone was casual, yet Luke could see the glimmer of excitement in her eyes. He wasn't sure he had ever seen her look like that. Maybe Jedi training could be a good thing for her.

"I could help if you want," Luke suggested. "I'm no expert, but I've had a bit more training that you."

Leia's expression turned rueful as she looked away toward her knees. "I, um… thank you, Luke, but…"

"But what?" Luke asked when she trailed off.

She looked back up to meet his inquisitive gaze. "Vader said he was going to train me," she said.

Luke's eyes bulged out of their sockets at this. "What!?" he exclaimed.

"I know what you're going to say, but hear me out," Leia said, holding up her hands to him. "I think this could be a really good thing."

"A good thing? Leia, he's a Sith!"

Leia furrowed her brow. "I don't even know what that means," she said.

Luke sputtered, unsure how to explain this to her. Truth be told, he didn't understand it very well either, but he knew that the Sith were anathema to the Jedi. Ben and Yoda had told him as much. "The Sith use the dark side," he told her.

"I don't know anything about that," Leia said as she began to wrap a strand of hair around her finger. "He just said he was going to help me learn about the Force, that's all. It's not a big deal, really."

"But Leia –"

"Just listen, Luke," Leia interrupted. "He's asking for my help."

"Your help?"

"He wants me to help him reach a settlement with the Alliance."

"A… what?"

Leia leaned toward him. "This could mean peace, Luke," she said. "Do you understand? The war could end!"

Luke shook his head dazedly. "But the Empire –"

"It's falling apart," Leia told him. "Vader's the only person holding it together. That's why I need him to trust me. I can convince him to help dismantle to Imperial apparatus for good."

"But why would he do that?"

Leia frowned at this question. "You haven't talked to him at all, have you?"

"What do you mean? Of course I have."

"Then you haven't talked to him enough," she said as she leaned back. Brushing the hair out of her face, she sat upright and crossed her legs underneath her. "I misjudged him, Luke. We all did. Vader doesn't care about the Empire. He hates it as much as we do."

"How can you say that?" Luke asked, aghast. "Think about all the people he's killed! All the Rebel agents he's tortured!"

"He's done horrible things, I don't deny that, but that was in the past! He was operating on the Emperor's orders. Now he's the one in charge!"

"And you think that's a good thing?"

"It is because he has me to help him make the right choices! You could help too if you weren't so stubborn."

"Stubborn? I'm not stubborn!"

"You have to stop listening to her, Luke," Leia said in a whisper.

Luke blinked a few times in bewilderment. "You mean Mom?" he asked, lowering his voice as well.

"She's been lying to you."

"No she hasn't!"

"She doesn't want you to see things clearly. She wants you to hate Vader."

Luke faltered. He knew Leia was right on this account. But he wasn't going to switch allegiances because of that. Vader's crimes greatly outweighed his mother's. All she had done was stretch the truth a little!

"Vader's trying to use you, Leia," Luke told her.

"And Fett's trying to use you," she shot back.

Luke flinched. "Don't call her that," he demanded.

"She tried to kill our father!"

"Only because he deserved it!"

"You don't know that! You don't know anything! What has she actually told you about him?"

"She's told me enough!"

"She's a chronic liar! Ahsoka told me not to trust a word she says."

"Do you even hear yourself right now? You're trusting Darth Vader over your own mother!"

"No, I'm trusting my father over Boba Fett!"

Luke was about to hurl another retort when a voice suddenly sounded from the apartment.

"What's going on out there?"

They froze, neither brave enough to look away. A distinctive jingling sound pierced the silence as his mother approached.

"You two are arguing already?"

Emboldened by the fact that he hadn't said anything wrong, Luke turned first. His mother was standing atop the stairs with her arms crossed in front of her chest. She had changed out of her nightgown and was wearing what Luke called her 'bounty hunter outfit': baggy khaki pants, a cargo jacket, and steel-tipped boots with spurs. His eyes gravitated toward her belt where he saw an empty holster. No doubt she was livid about having lost her blaster yesterday.

"What are you fighting about?"

Luke let out a subtle exhale of relief. So she hadn't heard, after all.

"We weren't fighting," Luke claimed.

Padmé arched an eyebrow skeptically. "It sure sounded like you were."

"We were just… talking."

Padmé considered him for a few moments before mercifully deciding to drop the subject. "Where is Vader?" she asked bluntly.

"He went back to his ship," Leia answered. "He needed to repair his shoulder after you shot it."

Padmé's eyes narrowed as she turned her gaze to Leia. "How do you know about his prosthetics?" she asked.

"He told me last night."

Padmé took a step toward the stairs. "Did he now?"

Leia glanced at Luke before nodding.

"Well isn't that nice," said a sardonic Padmé. "He must have told you that I was responsible for what happened to him."

"No, actually," Leia said. "He said he has no one to blame but himself."

Luke was surprised to hear this. When he had asked Vader about it, he had told him that everything was Obi-Wan's fault, not his own. Could Vader have realized he had made a mistake with Luke and was therefore trying a new approach with Leia? That would make sense. After all, Vader hadn't been competing with Padmé at the time when he had told Luke about that. He hadn't needed to put on a show for Luke's benefit. With Leia, however, he was clearly making a concerted effort to highlight his humanity.

"How are you feeling?" Padmé asked Leia after a few moments of heavy silence.

Leia blinked twice, clearly caught off guard by the question. "Um… fine," she said.

Padmé descended the stairs and took a seat next to Leia on the couch. Surprised, Leia scooted back a few inches, yet she stopped when Padmé raised a hand to her forehead. "It's healing nicely already," she said, oblivious to Leia's discomfort. She ran her thumb over the bruise gently and took a close look. "You're lucky," she said finally. "It could have been much worse."

"I, um… yeah, I guess," Leia stammered.

Luke smirked at her fluster. Leia didn't know what she was talking about. She didn't know Padmé like he did. In time she would learn where their true loyalties ought to lie.

Or so he hoped.

"The three of us need to talk," Padmé said, turning away from Leia and clasping her hands together on top of her lap. She waited for a moment, but when neither of them prompted her, she continued on. "I'm sure you both have a lot of questions and I want to make sure that you get answers. I don't want you to think ill of me for hiding things from you. I wanted to tell you the truth. Believe me, I did. Luke, I wanted nothing more than to tell you that you had a sister, and Leia, it tore me up inside not to be able to reveal myself to you when we were together. But you have to understand that I had to hide things from you for your own safety."

Padmé paused. Pursing her lips, she glanced between Luke and Leia who remained silent. "The only thing that matters to me is keeping you two safe," she said. She seemed to grow frustrated when neither of them said anything. "Well?" she asked. "Don't you have questions?"

Luke and Leia looked at each other. Of course they had questions, but neither of them honestly expected her to answer them truthfully. He didn't want his mother to know that, however, so Luke went ahead.

"So Leia and I are twins then?" he asked.

Padmé nodded with a smile, clearly grateful for an easy question. "You are," she confirmed.

"We always thought it was weird that we had the same birthday," Luke said. "Remember that, Leia?"

Leia's severe expression softened a fraction as a much needed sense of levity permeated the tension. "I thought you were trying to steal my thunder," she said.

Luke chuckled. "And I thought you were trying to steal mine."

"Luke told me that you two are good friends," Padmé said. "I wanted to ask more, but I didn't want to tip you off, Luke."

"We're best friends," Luke said at once, and Leia cheeks turned pink. "Wouldn't you say so?" he asked her.

"Luke's just being kind," she said to Padmé. "He has much better friends than me."

"That's not true!" Luke gasped.

Leia waved her hand at him. "What about Wedge and all your pilot buddies?" she asked. Her expression suddenly turned bitter. "And then there's Han," she said. "They're all better friends than I am."

"Why would you say that?"

"I'm no fun," Leia frowned. "I never have been."

"Who cares about that?" When Leia gave him a skeptical look, Luke leaned toward her and boldly extended a hand toward her knee. "You better learn to accept it," he told her. "You're my best friend and nothing you say is going to change my mind."

Leia seemed to be astonished by this declaration. "I… I've never really had friends before," she admitted in a small voice.

"I didn't either," Padmé said, and Leia turned to her in surprise. "It's the sacrifice you make by entering politics at such a young age."

Luke could see the conflict brewing in Leia as she found herself relating better and better with Padmé. Luke also found it difficult to reconcile the two incongruous aspects of his mother's identity. She was paradoxical in that way.

"He was your first friend, wasn't he?" Leia asked. The 'he' in question didn't need to be defined. They all knew who she meant.

Padmé contemplated the question for a few moments. "I suppose," she finally said, but didn't elaborate any further. Dissatisfied with this laconic response, Leia pursued.

"You really can't forgive him?" she asked, and Luke sensed a hint of desperation in her tone. Just like him, she clearly didn't want to have to pick a side. But unlike him, however, it seemed that Leia was situating herself to choose Vader when the time came.

"Forgiveness is not an option," Padmé said definitively.

"Why not?"

Padmé clenched her jaw and looked away. She had never encountered this type of persistence from Luke. He had always been willing to respect her privacy. Leia, however, was far less considerate in this sense.

"So whatever he did is so bad that he deserves to die, yet you can't tell us what it was?" she asked. Padmé shook her head, refusing to answer. "What did he do?" Leia pried.

"I don't want to talk about it," Padmé mumbled.

"What happened?"

"Leia, just drop it," Luke warned.

"I deserve an answer," Leia said haughtily. "I deserve to know why she tried to kill him!"

Padmé leapt to her feet. "Stop it! Just stop it!" she shrieked. Leia's eyes widened and she scampered away in fear. "I don't want to talk about it, okay?" Padmé said, her voice quivering as she took a step away toward the stairs. "Just… just stop asking me. Don't make me…"

Her eyes glazed over as a shiver ran through her body. Shaking herself out of the stupor, she gave Leia one last look before spinning around and marching away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I believe now would be a wonderful time for some shameless self-promotion. I posted the first chapter to my new story _Hollow Hero_ yesterday afternoon, so by all means check it out if you're interested.


	20. Glimmer of Hope

Luke wasn't able to sleep. Lying on his back with a hand rested behind his head, he stared blankly at the ceiling. To his left, Leia was snoring on the opposite couch. Glancing over at her, he smirked when he saw her mouth hanging open. He'd never before seen the princess look so unrefined.

His amusement faded when his eyes gravitated up to the bruise on her forehead. It was healing well, but the black and purple blotch above her left eye was still quite prominent. He couldn't understand why Leia had been so willing to forgive Vader after he had nearly killed her. A part of him wondered if she didn't understand it either.

He and Leia had spent the entire afternoon in each other's company. Luke had been thrilled to finally have someone else to talk with, but his enthusiasm had been short-lived when Leia told him about what had happened between her and Han after Hoth.

" _You can't let him treat you like that, Leia_ ," he had said, flushed red with indignation when she told him how forward Han had been with her.

" _I don't know, Luke. I think part of him really does love me, but he just doesn't know how to tell me._ "

" _That doesn't excuse his behavior_ ," Luke had insisted. " _And then you say he blamed you? For what exactly?_ "

Leia had sighed. " _He was jealous that I wanted to go to Imperial Center to save you_."

Finding himself getting worked up again, Luke pushed off his blanket and stood up from the couch. He ran his hands through his unruly hair as he walked away toward the windows. He oftentimes found himself staring out these windows late at night, absently appreciating the warm light from the moon and surrounding metropolis as he contemplated his burgeoning frustrations.

It hurt to hear how little Han valued their friendship. He had thought that he and the smuggler were on good terms, but recently Han had shown his true colors. He seemed to view Luke as competition rather than as an actual friend. Han had saved his life on Hoth, yes, but now he figured that the only reason he had gone to such lengths was to impress Leia. Afterward, he had been so smug about it, using his heroism in the most crass way possible.

" _Well, Your Worship, it looks like you managed to keep me around a little while longer._ "

" _I had nothing to do with it. General Rieekan thinks it's dangerous for any ships to leave the system until we've activated the energy field._ "

" _That's a good story. I think you just can't bear to let a gorgeous guy like me out of your sight._ "

Even then, Luke had considered Han's behavior to be unpleasant. Now, however, he found it to be absolutely appalling. How dare he treat his sister like that! The man was acting like Leia was obligated to fall in love with him because he had saved both her and Luke's lives. That's what you get with a smuggler: Everything is an exchange for them.

The whole thing made Luke question himself. He knew that Han had his flaws, but deep down he had always thought him to be a good person. Luke had sensed it, in a way. Yet time and time again, Han was proving him wrong for believing in him. Could he no longer trust his intuition anymore? For all his life, it had served him well. But now…

This wasn't about Han. Not really, at least. This was about Vader. When he had learned the truth on Bespin, Luke had found himself captivated by his father's face. When he had looked into those eyes which were so much like his own, he had sensed something, even if he hadn't been willing to acknowledge at the time. He had sensed…

Good.

The man before him was capable of it, he knew it. Yet how could Luke believe that now? His mother had told him that Vader couldn't be redeemed for what he had done. Who was he to disagree with her? She knew Vader far better than he did.

Leia wouldn't accept this, however. She needed to know specifics. To an extent, Luke did as well. Without knowing exactly what Vader had done, he was never going to surrender his glimmer of hope that his father could somehow be redeemed.

At this thought, Luke suddenly felt a shiver run up his spine. He froze, eyes widening as the odious sensation percolated throughout his body. The silver moonlight suddenly shifted hue, and Luke found himself bathed in crimson red. He looked up to see that the moon in the sky was ablaze with fire and the previously empty night sky was now churning with noxious clouds of gas.

_Stop! Stop now!_

Broken out of his paralysis, Luke spun away from the hellish scene. "Mom?" he asked.

_Come back! I love you!_

Luke took off running toward his mother's bedroom, the blood pounding in his ears and heart hammering in his chest.

_Liar!_

He tore the door open to see Padmé thrashing in the sheets. Her eyes were shut tight and her face was coated in a sheen of sweat.

"Mom!"

_You're with him! You brought him here to kill me!_

Luke felt panicked as he stood over her. He didn't know what to do! Her spasms were growing more and more violent and she was making a strangled sound in the back of her throat.

_No!_

"Mom? Mom, can you hear me?"

Her eyes flew open, yet she didn't seem to be awake. She blindly clawed at the air with her hands before grabbing onto his arm.

The moment she touched him, his surroundings seemed to disappear. Suddenly, he found himself face to face with a furious young man. Before Luke could even wonder what was going on, he felt his throat constrict when the man extended a gloved hand to him.

His eyes bulged out of their sockets as he reached for his throat. He was unable to breathe! Tears clouded his vision and an oppressive heat bombarded him in waves.

_Let her go, Anakin._

Luke felt himself struggling to move his lips. "Anakin!" he managed to plead, yet relief did not come. He was going to kill him…

_Let. Her. Go._

His vision went black and Luke found himself falling. He tumbled downward until suddenly he jolted awake. Disoriented, he staggered backward as his legs wobbled precariously.

"Luke?"

He blinked once and realized he was back in his mother's bedroom. She had broken out of her catatonic state and was seated upright in the bed. Her eyes were wide and her face blanched with fear as she looked up at him.

"Mom," he croaked.

She let out a sob and wrapped her arms around his torso. Luke let out a shaky breath, his whole body trembling as his terror began to abate. He cradled his mother's head and stroked her hair while she wept against his sternum.

"It's okay, you're okay," he whispered.

But it wasn't okay. The glimmer of hope was gone.

* * *

Leia woke up with a colossal yawn. Sitting upright, she stretched her arms and arched her back. Only then did she register the shadow in which she was ensconced. Startled, she looked up to see Vader looming over her. A hint of humor was dancing in his eyes as he peered down at her.

"Took you long enough," he said.

Leia flushed red as she pulled her blanket up. "Were you watching me sleep?" she asked. Vader didn't answer, yet his smirk confirmed her suspicion. She wasn't sure whether she felt uncomfortable with that or not.

Vader took a step away and sat down on the opposite couch. "How's your head?" he asked her.

Leia raised a hand to her forehead. The wound was still tender to the touch, but no longer was she suffering from the headache. "Better," she said as she pushed the blanket aside and tucked her legs underneath her. "Where's Luke?" she asked.

"No idea," Vader said a bit sharply.

Leia pursed her lips and looked away. She could tell that Vader was frustrated with his son. She and him had talked a great deal the night before while Luke and Padmé had been asleep. Vader had told her all about what had happened after Bespin. She got the sense that Vader felt as if things had been going well between them until Padmé entered the fray and snagged Luke away from him. Whether or not that was a fair assessment, Leia was yet to have an opinion, yet she could certainly appreciate Vader's view. Luke had been downright vitriolic toward the man when Leia had expressed her intents to cooperate with him yesterday morning.

"Are we going to the Senate today?" Leia asked after a few moments of silence. Vader didn't seem to register the question as he seemed deep in thought with something. Leia opened her mouth to prompt him when she stopped herself. She realized that she didn't know what to call him. Lord Vader? Father? Neither sounded right.

Fortunately, she didn't have to say anything because Vader returned to reality with a shake of his head. "I don't want to rush things," he said. "If you're not feeling well –"

"I feel fine," Leia insisted. While this wasn't strictly true, she was eager to get out of the apartment and do something worthwhile.

"Are you sure?" Vader asked.

"Absolutely," Leia said at once. She nodded her head vigorously, yet the accompanying wave of nausea contradicted her assurance.

Vader seemed to be unconvinced. "We'll see," he said. "How about you get some breakfast first?"

Leia found herself marveling at his considerate behavior. How could Luke say that Vader was trying to use her when he was actively trying to prevent her from going to the Senate on his behalf? Vader genuinely cared for her wellbeing, as bizarre as that may sound. She tried to resist the impulse, but time and time again she found herself comparing Vader to her other father, Bail Organa. They were such different men, yet nevertheless their treatment of her was similar in so many ways.

"Um… yeah," Leia stammered after she realized Vader was waiting for an answer. "That… sounds like a plan." She cringed at herself, yet Vader didn't seem to notice her awkwardness. He stood up and glanced over toward the hallway leading to the bedroom. Leia followed his gaze to see a shadow emerging from around the corner.

"Good morning, Luke."

When he entered the living room, her brother stiffened at this greeting. Luke's eyes darted to her before returning his gaze to Vader. "Morning," he said.

Vader seemed to be surprised by his frigid demeanor. He blinked a few times, brow furrowed as he contemplated Luke's defensive posture. "Where is your mother?" he asked.

Luke flared his nostrils at this question. "In the shower," he answered brusquely.

"Oh," Vader said. "I, um… I guess I'll just wait for her here."

Neither man made a move as they continued to stare at one another. Unable to bear the tension, Leia cleared her throat and took a step forward. "I was going to get some breakfast," she said. "Luke, have you eaten yet?" Luke shook his head yet kept his eyes on Vader. "Okay," Leia said. She was grimacing, the awkwardness causing her physical pain. "I can, uh… I can make you something if you want."

Finally, Luke turned away from Vader. "That's alright," he said before storming off toward the kitchen.

She and Vader both watched him leave with quizzical expressions. "What was that about?" she asked once he was gone.

Vader shook his head and didn't respond. Sighing loudly, he ran a hand through his hair before collapsing down onto the couch.

"I'll go talk to him," Leia said. "Maybe he just… I don't know. Maybe he just needs something to eat."

Eager to escape the depressive pall surrounding Vader, Leia spun around and hurried toward the kitchen without waiting for a response. There she found Luke fiddling with the food replicator.

"I didn't know you drank caf," she said when she saw what he was preparing.

"I don't," he said gruffly.

Leia gulped when she came to a stop by the island. Luke's back was faced to her, yet she could see his face through the reflection on the glass window of the replicator; His jaw was clenched and his eyes were narrowed with a bitter anger. She didn't think she had ever seen Luke look like this. What could have possible happened to make him so upset?

"So, uh… why are you making it?" she asked tentatively.

"It's for Mom," he told her. Once the caf had stopped dripping, Luke opened the door and picked up the mug. He turned around and set it down on the island. "What?" he snapped when he saw her expression.

"Nothing," she said quickly.

Luke considered her for a few moments with a frown. "Are you going with him today?" he asked, nodding toward the living room.

Leia hesitated. She knew the answer wouldn't be taken well. "I don't have to if you don't want," she mumbled.

"Oh no, don't let me stop you," Luke said. "Go right ahead if you want." With that, he picked up the mug and made to leave.

"Luke, wait," she said as he passed. She didn't know what she wanted to say, however.

He stopped in the doorway and looked back at her. "Don't trust him, Leia," he said in a whisper. "Whatever you do, don't trust him."

Leia had no idea what to say to this. Interpreting her silence as dismissal of his advice, Luke grumbled in disappointment before departing with the mug of caf. She stood there for a long while, hands on her hips as she stared blankly at the empty doorway. She no longer felt particularly hungry. Electing to forego breakfast, she left the kitchen and headed back toward the living room.

"That was quick."

Vader had left the couch and was now standing in front of the windows. He must have sensed her presence since there was no way he could have seen her return from that vantage point.

"I had a ration bar," Leia lied as she walked over toward him and came to a stop by his side. She knew Vader would object to her not having anything to eat – after all, that's what Bail would have done.

"Of all the options, you go with a ration bar?" Vader asked, wrinkling his nose as he glanced down at her.

Leia shrugged. "I'm used to them," she said.

Vader smiled and Leia found herself blushing at the affection in his eyes.

"Do you still want to come with me?"

Leia blinked a few times as she processed this question. "Do I…? Oh, yeah! Absolutely."

"Great," Vader said. He seemed to be relieved that there was someone in this apartment who didn't seem to hate him. "Why don't you get dressed? I'll be waiting outside."

"Okay!" she said, beaming with excitement. What had gotten into her? She was acting like such a girl! All she could think about was when she had gone to the Senate for the first time with her father when she was nine years old. Now she was doing the same thing twelve years later with her other father.

Her smile turned melancholy as she spun around and walked away toward the bedroom to find something to wear. She had been so quick to equate Bail with Vader in her mind. How could she have done that? Was the latter at least not partially responsible for the former's death? Yet she couldn't think about that when she looked at Vader. When she saw him, she didn't see enemy of the Rebellion who was responsible for so much pain and suffering. Instead, she saw him as Ahsoka did: as Anakin Skywalker.

Was she being a hypocrite? Why was she so willing to differentiate Anakin from Vader yet not Padmé from Fett? Perhaps it had simply been because Leia had had such higher expectations for Padmé than for Vader. She had been disheartened therefore to learn that the great Senator Amidala had sunken so low. The champion of liberty whom she had idolized so fervently had become a duplicitous bounty hunter with no sense of morality whatsoever.

"Is the caf alright? I didn't really know –"

"It's fine, Luke. Thank you."

Leia stopped outside the door to the bedroom when she heard voices. As she debated announcing her presence, Luke spoke again.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

Leia inched closer to the door and strained her ears to hear Padmé's response.

"It's not something I like talking about," she said.

A long silence ensued and Leia feared that her presence might have been detected.

"You need to tell her," Luke said finally.

"No."

"Why not?"

"She won't believe me anyway. She thinks I'm a liar."

Leia caught her breath. They were talking about her!

"Not if you tell her the truth," Luke insisted. When Padmé sighed in response, he continued his campaign. "I'll tell her if you don't want to."

"What good would that do?"

"What good? Mom, she has to know!"

Leia was unable to remain hidden in good conscience. Knocking on the door, she cut off Padmé's response. A tense silence was eventually interrupted by approaching footsteps, and finally the door opened to reveal Luke.

"Leia," he said, clearly surprised to see her. "What are you doing here?"

Leia winced at the phrasing of this question. It was as if she had infracted on his territory. "I just needed some clothes," she said. "Is this a bad time, or –"

"No, it's fine," Luke said and he stepped aside. "Come on in."

Leia wringed her wrists as she stepped into the bedroom. Glancing to her left, she saw Padmé standing in front of the windows with the mug of caf held in both hands. Meeting her gaze, Padmé raised her chin and gave her a suspicious look.

"Luke tells me you're going to the Senate with Vader," she said.

"I am."

Padmé narrowed her eyes before setting the mug down on a wooden credenza next to her. "Will you negotiate on his behalf?" she asked.

Leia refused to be deterred by the judgement in her tone. "I will do what I must to bring about a ceasefire," she said with dignity.

Padmé considered this response for a few moments before nodding. "Very well," she said. "You might as well look the part." Leia registered a hint of awkwardness on Padmé's behalf as she glanced over at Luke. No doubt she felt more comfortable speaking with him than with her. "Follow me," she said finally. "We'll find you something suitable."

Neither Luke nor Leia moved as their mother walked past them across the room and toward the walk-in closet. Exhaling, she looked over at her brother who was giving her a probing look. Did he know that she had overheard their conversation?

"What?" she asked him.

Luke continued to stare at her unblinkingly for several moments longer. Finally, he shook his head and made to leave. "Go on," he said coldly. "She's waiting for you." He stepped out into the hallway and walked away, leaving a troubled Leia in his wake.


	21. Cordiality and Compromise

"Is it how you remember?"

Leia gasped when she stepped into the office. It was as if she had been transported back in time. Her office was painted white in defiance of the oppressive black and greys which dominated the rest of the Senate complex. The circular room featured an elegant chrome desk with a swivel chair which were bathed in morning light from a broad set of curved windows along the opposite wall. The cedar floor gave off an aromatic scent which intoxicated her with nostalgia.

She scanned the entire room before glancing down at the carpet. Emblazoned in the felt was the insignia of the Alderaanian monarchy, the deep purple and silver looking especially prominent against the white backdrop.

"It's amazing," Leia said faintly. She took another step and kneeled down toward the carpet. Brushing her hands across the insignia, she closed her eyes and took a deep breath of its rich scent before looking back up at Vader. "How is it still here?" she asked. "When the Senate was dissolved –"

"I took the liberty of restoring it," Vader told her.

"You did?" Leia stood up and tilted her head at him. "But when did you even get the chance?"

"I had a few droids fix things up for you yesterday," he explained. With a wave of his hand, he sealed the door shut behind him. He then reached up and removed his helmet. He smiled, and his face was illuminated with a warm yet cautious endearment. "It's the least I could do," he said.

Leia reciprocated his smile until a twinge of uncertainty compelled her to look away. She was beginning to make quite a habit of smiling back at him. She was uniquely comfortable in Vader's company, and her long-suppressed femininity always seemed to come out whenever they were together. She struggled against those impulses. They made her feel weak. Vulnerable.

"There's one more thing I'd like to show you."

Leia was absently running her finger along the surface of her desk when she looked back up at Vader. "What's that?" she asked.

Vader pushed his cape aside and reached to his belt. "If I'm going to train you, it would makes sense for you to have this." Leia's eyes widened when he produced a lightsaber and offered it to her.

"Where did you get that?" she asked, not recognizing the hilt. "You didn't make it, did you?"

"Oh no," Vader said. "I did repair it, however."

"You did?"

"Go on. Take it."

Leia did as he asked. The hilt was smoother and lighter than the one she was familiar with. It fit better in her small hands, but even so, she would have felt more comfortable with the other blade.

"What happened to my lightsaber?" she asked.

Vader arched an eyebrow. "You mean _my_ lightsaber?" he corrected.

"Sure," she said, rolling her eyes. "Why can't I have that one back?"

Vader's expression turned stern. "I am gifting you a lightsaber," he said. "Is this not good enough?"

"Of course!" she said at once. "It's just… I'm curious, that's all."

Vader nodded, but she could tell she had upset him. "I don't want you using that weapon," he said definitively.

"Why not?"

"It doesn't matter," Vader snapped. "You will use this one instead. Is that clear?"

Leia shied away from him. "Yes," she said in a mousy voice.

A flash of remorse passed Vader's face. He cleared his throat and attempted an apology. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have –"

"It's okay," Leia interrupted. "I should have been more grateful." The pair looked at each other silently for a few moments before Leia decided to push ahead. "So, um… where did this come from?" she asked.

"It belonged to my previous student," Vader said solemnly.

Leia's eyes widened. "This is Ahsoka's?"

Vader shook his head. "Not anymore," he said. "It belongs to you now."

Leia pursed her lips and considered a diplomatic way to voice her qualm with this. "But… won't Ahsoka want this back?" she asked.

"This lightsaber hasn't belonged to her in over twenty years," Vader dismissed. "Believe me, she won't be missing it."

"I know that. I just feel like… it doesn't feel like mine."

Vader furrowed his brow as he considered this. "I understand," he said. Leia exhaled in relief that she hadn't upset him any further than she already had. "You want your own weapon."

"I… I guess," Leia said. In reality, all she wanted was her old lightsaber, but Vader had made it explicitly clear that she wasn't going to get that back.

"In time, my young apprentice," Vader said with a half-smile. Once again, Leia found herself smiling as well before quickly wiping it from her face. Why did she keep doing that? "You still have much to learn. The construction of a lightsaber is a sacred task for which you are not yet prepared."

"I understand," Leia said, although she didn't really. Above all else, she was glad that Vader trusted her enough to give her a lightsaber. The fact that it wasn't the one she wanted ought to be irrelevant.

She made to clip Ahsoka's lightsaber to her belt when she realized her mistake. "I don't have anywhere to keep this," she told Vader. The elegant blue and green dress which Padmé had chosen for her was beautiful, yes, but it had none of the utilities which she was accustomed to; she had neither pockets nor a belt.

Only then did it dawn on her that she had been unarmed up to this point. For the past three years, she had always made sure that she kept at least one weapon on her person at all times. With Vader, however, Leia had begun to experience something she hadn't felt in ages: security. All of a sudden, she was free from fear. How incredible!

"I will hold on to it for you," Vader said, and Leia remarkably had no objection. She was willing to hand over her one weapon to Darth Vader himself! And why shouldn't she be? Her father wouldn't let anything bad happen to her, of this she was certain. "Shall we get going?" Vader asked once he had taken the lightsaber back and returned it to his belt. "The Rebel delegation should be waiting for us."

She didn't even try to stop herself from smiling this third time around. "I'm ready," she said. "Let's go."

* * *

Luke was pacing back and forth agitatedly in the living room. Leia and Vader had departed for the Senate building a few minutes ago, and now he had a chance to talk with his mother about their next course of action.

"I just don't understand why you don't want to tell her," he said, not for the first time.

Padmé was seated on the couch a few feet away. Her tired eyes were fixated on her lap rather than on him. She hadn't seemed to hear his question. He was going to reiterate it, but he stopped himself. There was something about his mother's demeanor which seemed almost… fragile. As if she could break at any moment. He wasn't used to seeing her like this. In the short time he had known her, he had always thought of his mother as being one of the strongest people he had ever known.

"You asked me if I see him in you," Padmé said suddenly. Surprised, Luke ceased pacing and turned to her. She looked up, and Luke saw the dejection in her eyes. "I told you that I didn't." A long pause followed before she finally said: "I lied."

"No you didn't," Luke said at once. "I saw what he did. I'm nothing like that."

Padmé shook her head and sighed. "There are two men in that suit," she said. "The one I loved and the one I hate."

Luke could scarcely believe that she was making this admission. Why now, of all times?

"You and Anakin have that same charm, that same… beauty." Padmé looked away and smiled wanly. "I saw it, but I chose not to recognize it. Leia's right about me. I am a liar. Not only to others, but to myself."

"Why are you saying this?" Luke asked as he took a step toward the couch.

Padmé melancholy smile ebbed away when she met his gaze. "I love you not just because you are my son, but because you are his son too," she said. "You're so much like him, Luke. You represent all that was good about him."

Luke tried to object, but he stopped himself when he realized the hypocrisy. Now he was the one lying to himself. He had asked his mother that question because he had already known the answer. He had known that he and his father were more alike than they were different in spite of the color of their lightsabers. Yet Padmé had denied it then. In the light of what he now knew, Luke wanted to deny it as well, but it wouldn't make it any less true.

"Leia sees you in Anakin just like I see Anakin in you," Padmé continued. "The only difference is she's not deluded enough to deny it." She closed her eyes and rested her hands on top of her knees. "I don't want to take that away from her. I don't want to ruin Anakin for her like I have for you."

"So you don't want her to know the truth?" Luke asked. "You don't want her to know that he tried to kill you?"

Padmé's expression turned strained. "I… I don't know what I want," she said.

Luke took another step toward her. "I know what you _don't_ want," he said. Padmé opened her eyes and gave him an inquisitive look. "You don't want us to be his prisoner."

"I don't," she agreed.

"You want us to get away from him."

"I… I do."

"Then tell her!" Luke exclaimed, throwing his hands into the air. "Vader trusts Leia! He lets her out of this prison! If only she knew –"

"No," Padmé said at once. "She can't know."

Luke's hands dropped back to his sides. "I don't understand," he said in exasperation.

Padmé didn't answer him. Instead, she looked away once again and began chewing on her lower lip. Based on that expression, Luke was fairly sure she didn't understand either.

* * *

Leia and Vader came to a stop outside the entrance to the conference room where the negotiations with the Rebel Alliance were taking place. Vader's hand hovered over the control panel, yet he looked down at her first before opening the door.

"Ready?" he asked. His voice was deep and unfamiliar to her on account of the mask. She hated that he had to wear that thing. It hid the man whom she knew to be her father and replaced him with a faceless monster.

"Ready," she said upon pushing aside these thoughts.

The door opened and she and Vader strode into the conference room side by side. It was a bleak, cavernous space. Featureless grey walls and a spotless black table were the sole features of the austere room. Seated on the end closest to them was a man whom she recognized to be Mas Amedda, the former Vice Chair of the Senate and the Emperor's second hand man. Leia didn't spare Amedda any thought, however. Instead, she locked eyes with the shocked senator who was seated at the opposite end of the table next to Admiral Ackbar. Based on her incredulous eyes and slackened jaw, it seemed Mothma had not been informed that Leia would be participating in this meeting.

"Forgive me for being unable to attend the other day," Vader said to the room. "I had a matter of urgent importance which I was forced to address."

"No worries, Lord Vader," Amedda said, spinning around in his chair and standing up to give him a bow. "Negotiations were halted until you could join us." Amedda's expression faltered when he noticed Leia standing next to Vader.

"Princess Leia will be accompanying me to all future meetings with the Rebellion," Vader informed the perplexed Vice Chair. He then looked up at Mothma and Ackbar. "I assume this will not be objectionable to you?" he asked them.

Mothma blinked a few times in rapid succession. "I, um… no, of course not," she stammered.

Vader nodded and walked around Amedda toward the left end of the table. He stopped to pull out a chair and looked over at her. "Take a seat, Princess," he instructed.

Humor bubbled up within her and Leia had to suppress a laugh when she saw Mothma's deepening expression of bewilderment. Striding over toward the chair, Leia thanked Vader before sitting down.

"I assume the Vice Chair informed you of the nature of this meeting," Vader said once he walked away and began pacing back toward the head of the table.

"He did," Ackbar said, his eyes narrowed with suspicion.

"Then you know that the Empire is willing to make peace with the Rebellion."

"The _Alliance_ cannot be sure of your intentions, Lord Vader," Mothma said, emphasizing the difference in nomenclature.

"Then allow me to clarify," Vader said as he passed Amedda and began slowly walking down the opposite end of the table. "The Emperor's… _untimely_ death was a tragedy for the entire galaxy." He paused to glance at her, and Leia could practically see the smirk on his face through the mask. "Without his leadership, the Empire which he founded has fallen into disarray. I am sure that you are already well informed about the subject of which I am referring."

"Gideon," Ackbar said.

"Amongst others, but yes," Vader said as he resumed pacing around the table. Ackbar and Mothma both stiffened when Vader walked behind them. Leia watched with begrudging appreciation. Vader clearly knew how to maximize the benefits of his threatening persona.

"The majority of the moffs who held the galaxy together are acting independently from our bureaucracy here on Imperial Center," Amedda said from the head of the table.

"I fail to see how this has anything to do with the Alliance," Mothma said. She craned her head back to look at Vader directly. "If you want to recruit our armed forces to your cause, I can tell you that the answer is an emphatic no."

Vader didn't make eye contact with Mothma as he continued onward to complete his lap around the table. Finally, he came to a stop behind Leia's chair. "That is exactly what I am asking of you," he said.

Mothma and Ackbar looked at each other. "Then I guess we're done here," Ackbar said. When he made to stand up, however, Vader raised a hand menacingly.

"We're not done until I say we're done."

The room froze as Vader's words infused a paralytic chill into the air. Even Leia found herself gulping in fear, although not for herself but for her colleagues. Nevertheless, she knew Vader wouldn't hurt them. This display was merely for show. It was supremely effective, however.

Vader resumed speaking after a tense silence. "The Imperial Navy has disintegrated," he said. "I have maintained direct control over a few capital ships and a handful of stormtrooper divisions, but other than that I am powerless. The remaining admirals have either sided with the moffs or have gone off on their own."

"This seems like a problem for the Empire, not the Alliance," Mothma said.

"This is a problem for the galaxy," Vader countered.

Mothma shook her head. "This is a waste of our time, Lord Vader," she said. "If you are not going to propose any sort of compromises –"

"Perhaps you should listen to what the princess has to say," he interrupted. Mothma frowned and looked away from Vader toward her. Her gaze gravitated up toward the bruise on Leia's forehead, something she evidently had not noticed until now. "The floor is yours, Princess," Vader told her.

"Thank you, Lord Vader," Leia said as she rested her hands on the table in front of her. "Senator Mothma, I suggest that you reconsider Lord Vader's proposal."

Mothma arched an eyebrow. "And why would I do that?" she asked.

"Because he is willing to fulfill your every demand if you cooperate."

Mothma's eyes widened. Before she could speak, however, Amedda interjected. "That's preposterous!" he exclaimed. "We are not willing to –"

"Silence, Vice Chair," Vader snapped, and Amedda's blue face turned a ghostly white. "You will allow the princess to speak."

Leia looked up at Vader and nodded appreciatively. "As I was saying, the Empire is more than willing to compromise," she said, returning her attention to Mothma. "As Lord Vader sees it, the Empire is inextricably connected with its founder. With Palpatine dead, the Empire can no longer exist as it once had."

Mothma considered this for a few moments. "I concur," she said eventually. Her expression turned inquisitive as she glanced up at Vader. "So what does Lord Vader propose?" she asked.

"What Lord Vader and I are _jointly_ proposing is a restructuring of the Imperial apparatus," Leia said with a frown. "The restoration of the Senate would of course be our top priority. We intend to restore stability and revive the democratic institutions which the Emperor abolished."

"On the condition that you would contribute your forces to our shared cause," Vader added.

"Of course," Leia agreed. "On that condition."

Neither Mothma nor Ackbar spoke as they contemplated the proposal. Feeling Amedda's furious eyes on her, Leia turned to give him a look. He sneered, but Leia was undeterred. With Vader on her side, there was nothing Amedda could do.

"We are not yet willing to commit to anything without first consulting the rest of the Alliance's leadership," Mothma said finally. Despite this noncommittal answer, Leia could tell that Mothma was intrigued by the offer Leia had presented. Her eyes darted up to Vader and she hesitated. "Forgive me if this is not my position to ask, but how did the… affiliation between the princess and yourself come to be?"

"Our affiliation is none of your concern, Senator," Vader said coolly. "The princess is a neutral party in these negotiations. Her purpose is to help facilitate a settlement between the Empire and the Rebellion."

"I see," Mothma said.

"And she has done an admirable job, has she not?" Vader asked. Leia felt herself blushing at the pride in his voice.

Mothma was clearly confused by the question. "Um… yes," she said. "She certainly has."

Vader placed his hand on her shoulder and gave it a quick squeeze before walking away. "Consult with your colleagues, Senator," he instructed. "I will allow you two days to mull things over." He came to a stop by the door and turned around. "I assume this is fair?"

"We will require at least three days," Ackbar demanded.

"Very well," Vader folded. "Three days it is." He stared intently at Mothma and Ackbar for a few moments before shifting his gaze to Leia. "Time to go," he said.

Leia nodded. Pushing her chair out, she extended her hand to Mothma as both women stood up. "This is the right thing to do," she told her.

Mothma shook Leia's hand and offered no response to this. Leia could sense the senator's unease. No doubt, she was baffled by this turn of events.

"I look forward to seeing you in three days," Leia said upon releasing Mothma's hand. "Admiral," she added with a nod toward Ackbar. With that, she spun around and departed. The door opened, and she and her father walked out of the conference room side by side.


	22. Victories and Victims

"I feel absolutely ridiculous."

Luke and Padmé were out on the patio enjoying the last few minutes of daylight before the sun dipped beneath the horizon. He was standing in between the two couches with a piece of cloth covering his eyes. He heard his mother laugh and he spun around toward the sound.

"Come on, it'll be fun," she said.

"For you, maybe," Luke grumbled.

Despite his disgruntled display, Luke was actually quite encouraged to find himself standing out here with a blindfold about to be pelted with apples. It had been his mother's idea – ostensibly for the sake of his Jedi training, but Luke suspected it was primarily for her own entertainment. She had been so sullen all afternoon, so he was glad to see her lighten up.

"You've got to keep in shape, Luke," he heard her say. "And this will help with your Jedi senses, or whatever."

"Let's just get this over with," Luke said in response.

"We'll start easy. Ready?"

Luke sighed as he bent his knees. "Ready," he said.

Stretching out with his feelings as Obi-Wan taught him to do, Luke sensed his mother standing in front of him. He had become intimately familiar with her Force presence and he could recognize her instantly without even having to see her.

"And… catch."

She threw an apple at him and Luke caught it easily. "Really?" he asked. "You can't tell me when you're going to throw it. That'd be too easy."

"Alright, alright," Padmé said as she took the apple out of his hands. "That was just a test run."

"Good, because if you really want to test me, you're going to have to –" Luke stopped talking when he felt something hit him in the chest. "Ow!" he exclaimed.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Were you saying something?"

"You threw it?"

"Your guard was down. I took advantage."

Luke rubbed his chest tenderly before reassuming his ready position. "Point taken," he said. "I'm ready now."

"You better be."

Luke swayed back and forth as he followed his mother's steps. She was circling him, preparing for her next strike…

Without thinking, Luke thrust his hand out and snagged the apple right out of the air before it could hit him in the face.

"Well done," his mother praised.

Luke didn't respond as he dropped the apple to the ground and continued to follow her movements. He wasn't going to drop his guard a second time.

His vigilance was rewarded when he sensed two projectiles coming at him at different trajectories. Acting once again on pure instinct, Luke dodged the first apple aimed at his neck and stopped the second one with the Force just before it plunged down onto the top of his head. He left it suspended there as he gave his mother a triumphant look.

"Is that all you got?" he challenged.

She didn't respond. Instead, Luke found himself the recipient of a hailstorm of apples from every which angle. He struggled to keep up, catching the few that he was able and dodging the rest. After nearly a minute, the onslaught came to an abrupt end.

"Why'd you stop?" Luke asked. Tearing off his blindfold, he did a double take when he saw not his mother, but Vader staring back at him from the far end of the patio. Standing next to him was Leia, a perplexed expression etched across her face as she glanced down at the two dozen or so apples at his feet.

"Why are you throwing apples at our son?" Vader asked.

Only then did Luke realize that Padmé was behind him. She took two steps forward so she could stand by his side. Crossing her arms in front of her chest, she stared Vader down without answering his question.

The tense silence was finally interrupted when Leia spoke up. "I don't know about you, but I'm famished," she said.

"Want an apple?" Luke asked.

Leia laughed and Luke found himself startled by the cheerful sound. Had he ever heard her laugh like that? What had happened to her? She seemed… happy. Of all the adjectives one could ascribe to her, happy had never been one of them. Was Vader responsible for this change? If so, how?

"I think I'll go inside," a blithe Leia said. She left Vader's flank and walked around Padmé and himself. Luke turned around to watch her walk up the stairs and toward the apartment.

"Would you care to know how the negotiations went?" Vader asked and Luke slowly turned back around to face him.

"You're going to tell me either way," Padmé said, the hostility in her tone belying her evident curiosity.

Vader frowned. Without responding to this comment, Vader flourished his cape and walked toward them. At once, Luke registered a flash of panic from his mother. Extending his arm in front of her, Luke sidestepped Vader as the man went marching passed them without a second glance. Luke turned to watch as Vader climbed the stairs two steps at a time and followed after Leia.

Luke's quickened pulse and sweaty brow could be attributed to the exercise, but in reality he knew it was because he was afraid. Ever since he had seen his mother's dream, Luke couldn't look at Vader in the same way. Terror seized his senses whenever the man was around. The memory of being strangled to death caused his throat to constrict, his heart to pound, and his whole body to stiffen.

He relaxed a fraction when Padmé placed a hand on his shoulder. "Come on," she said. "Let's go inside."

Leaving the apples strewn all over the patio, Luke and Padmé walked side by side back toward the apartment. Luke gave his mother a sideways glance as they traversed the patio. The conflict was plainly evident to him now. Up until this morning, she had maintained the steadfast position that she despised Vader and there was nothing he could do to change that. Luke had always suspected that that wasn't the full truth, and now he knew that to be the case.

But why? What was it about Vader – or rather, Anakin – that allowed them to love him in spite of everything he had done? He exuded a special charisma which Luke could begrudgingly acknowledge was exceptionally appealing. He and Padmé had managed to resist it, yet Leia had not. She had been captured in Vader's gravity, and now Luke faced the daunting task of having to wrench her free of his inexorable grasp.

Upon arriving in the living room, he and Padmé both turned toward the sound of activity in the kitchen. They shared a look before silently agreeing to carry on.

"You know, I doubt it will even take three days for them to agree," he heard Leia say.

"What makes you say that?" Vader asked.

Luke arrived in the kitchen to see Leia shrug at this question. She was leaning against the marble counter by the food replicator which was busy churning out something for her to eat.

"Call it intuition, I guess," she said. Seeing him and Padmé, Leia pushed herself away from the counter and walked over toward the island where Vader was. "You will not _believe_ how well it went," she told them. Her eyes were shining with enthusiasm as she leaned over the island and rested her forearms against the surface. Her ebullient expression faltered a fraction when nobody engaged with her. "Don't you want to hear?" she asked.

"Of course," Luke said hastily.

Placated, Leia stood back upright and gave Vader an appreciative nod. "I can't take any of the credit really," Leia said. "He was amazing."

"Oh, I don't think –" Vader began to say, but Leia cut him off.

"The way you just took control over the room? That was incredible!" she said. "Mothma and Ackbar were absolutely terrified of you!"

"Fear alone is not an effective motivator," Vader said.

"Of course not, but that's why you needed me there," Leia said. "It worked so well. You two should have seen Mothma's face. She was speechless!"

"What did you offer, exactly?" Padmé asked.

"You didn't tell her?" Leia asked Vader. When he shook his head, she spun back to Padmé with bright eyes. "We're going to restore the Republic," she said.

"You're… what?" Padmé asked.

"Well, not exactly," Vader amended. "It's not going to be the same."

"We'll work everything out with the Alliance leadership, but essentially the idea is that the Imperial apparatus is going to be transitioned into a democratic system," Leia explained. "Once the Moffs submit back to Imperial rule, they'll be stripped of their military authority and become beholden to their subjects once again. We won't remove them from office directly, but the people will be able to vote them out when elections are reinstated. So what do you think?"

Padmé blinked a few times as Leia gave her an expectant look. "It's very… thorough," she said finally.

"Actually, it's pretty barebones at the moment," Leia said modestly. "There are still a lot of details to work out."

"And you are okay with this?" Padmé asked Vader.

He shrugged. "I trust Leia," he said.

Padmé's eyebrows shot up her forehead at this comment "You _what_?"

"I've never cared for politics, you know that," Vader said. "If Leia believes this is for the best, I will do what I can to support her."

"I don't believe this," Padmé scoffed. "Do you have no values whatsoever?"

"Pardon?"

Padmé's expression turned livid. "You spent twenty years propping up Palpatine's Empire, and now you're going to throw it all away?"

"I'm sorry, do you want me to preserve the Empire?"

"I want you to stop manipulating my daughter!" Vader flared his nostrils at this demand and he seemed too indignant to come up with a retort. "You'll give her anything she wants just so she won't hate you!" Padmé accused, pointing a finger at a startled Leia.

"Is that such a bad thing?" Vader asked.

Stumped by this question, Padmé clenched her jaw and broiled in her anger. "How can we believe you?" Luke asked on his mother's behalf. "How do we know you're going to hold up your end of the bargain?"

Before Vader could defend himself, Leia jumped back into the fray. "Here's an idea, Luke. How about you show him some faith?"

"Faith?" Luke repeated.

"Yeah," she said, crossing her arms in front of her chest. "Give it a try, won't you?"

"Leia, you don't –"

"He's been nothing but good to you," she interrupted. "To both of you!" she added, gesturing to Padmé. "He's trying so hard, but you just shut him down! You won't even give him a chance!"

"A chance? Oh, I gave him a chance," Padmé said with bitter acrimony. "Twenty years ago, I gave him a chance. But you didn't take it, did you, Anakin? Do you remember what you told me instead?"

Vader's face twitched. Rather than answering, he reached down and scooped up his helmet from the island. He stuffed it over his head while Padmé began taunting him mercilessly.

"I'm so powerful, Padmé! I'm more powerful than the Chancellor, I can overthrow him! Remember that, Anakin? Remember? Oh, I don't care for politics. You liar! What was it you said? We could rule the galaxy together? Make things the way they're supposed to be. Oh, that's right! Just walk away! Just leave!"

"Mom, stop," Luke said, placing a hand on her shoulder when she tried to go after Vader who had stormed out of the kitchen. "That's enough."

Padmé unclenched her fists and exhaled slowly before nodding at Luke. "I'm sorry," she said. "I got a little carried away."

"You think?"

Luke and Padmé both spun around toward Leia's voice. She was seething at them, fingertips digging into the island counter while her eyes flashed furiously.

"What is wrong with you?" she asked Padmé. When she didn't respond, Leia pointed a contemptuous finger at her. "I thought you'd be happy about this, but all you can do is criticize Vader!"

Aggrieved, Padmé was roused back to her senses. "Can't you see? He's only doing this to get you to trust him!" she exclaimed.

"Who cares? He's doing it, isn't he? That's all that really matters!"

"You're not seeing things clearly, Leia."

"No, you're the one who isn't seeing things clearly. You've forgotten what we're fighting against. The Empire is the enemy, not Vader! If Vader's going to help us bring down the Empire, then he's our ally!"

"Things aren't that simple."

"Only because you have to complicate them!" Padmé growled in frustration, yet Leia refused to be intimidated. "You're blinded by your hatred!" she said. "You've let this personal vendetta get so big that you can't think of anything else!"

"There isn't anything else!" Padmé roared. Luke and Leia both flinched at her shrill voice. "Don't you get it? I have _nothing_! You and Luke are all I have left, and he's trying to take you away from me! I won't let him! Do you understand? I won't let him get away with it again!"

Stunned silence met this explosion. Luke glanced over at Leia who couldn't find anything to say. Her mouth was hanging ajar and the fierce glint in her eyes had been replaced by something far more melancholy.

She seemed to be in awe, and Luke could understand why. This was the first genuine truth her mother had ever said to her, and it was a horrifically tragic one. After all the deception, he hoped that Leia could finally see her for who she really was.

A victim.

* * *

Later that afternoon, Luke left his mother to go out onto the patio. He had tried to talk to her, but it seemed like she just wanted to be alone right now.

Having donned a cloak in preparation for the late afternoon chill, Luke grabbed the folds and wrapped them around him tighter when he stepped outside. A few meters away, Luke could make out Vader's distinctive figure at the bottom of the stairs. He was seated cross-legged on the marble floor. Standing behind him was a shivering Leia. She evidently had not shared Luke's foresight and was still wearing the sleeveless blue dress from earlier. She had let her hair down and looked remarkably comfortable in Vader's presence. Perhaps seeking to fend off the cold, she began pacing behind him.

"You are upset," he heard Vader remark.

"You're not?" she asked.

When Vader didn't respond, Luke inched forward toward the end of the hallway and hid behind a column. He had intended on finding Leia out here, but he hadn't known that Vader would still be around. Wishing to keep his interactions with the man at a minimum, Luke elected to observe from afar. Perhaps this way he could gain some insight into their enigmatic camaraderie.

"Is there nothing you could do?" Leia asked.

Vader craned his head languidly to look at her. "Such as?"

"I don't know!" Leia huffed. "Something other than what you're doing." Vader smiled thinly and looked away back toward the skyline. "What are you doing, by the way?"

"I was _trying_ to meditate," he responded.

"Meditate? Why?"

Vader chuckled. "I see Ahsoka did not teach you about the art."

"No, she didn't."

"I'm not surprised. I didn't spend much time teaching it to her, after all. I used to think it was a waste of time."

"What changed?"

Luke could feel the levity slip away at this painful question. "Everything," Vader muttered.

In spite of the darkness, Luke could make out Leia's regretful expression. Rubbing her arms together, she looked away from Vader who let out a heavy sigh. A lingering silence stretched on until Leia finally summoned up the courage to speak again. "Will you teach me?" she asked.

"In time," Vader said, his voice weary. "You have had a long day. It would be best if you got some rest." Leia sagged her shoulders at this instruction. Sensing her disappointment, Vader got to his feet and turned to face her. "Have patience," he advised.

"Ahsoka used to tell me that all the time," complained Leia.

Vader smiled ever so faintly. "I taught her well," he said. His expression turned rueful. "Or perhaps she learned it on her own," he amended. "I was never the best teacher."

"I don't think that's true," said Leia.

Vader bowed his head for a moment before returning his gaze to Leia. "I failed her," he said bluntly. Reaching out with his gloved hand, Vader tentatively ran a finger down Leia's cheek. Luke's eyes widened at this tender gesture. Not only was he surprised that Vader had done it, but he was amazed that Leia had let him. She hadn't recoiled. Indeed, she didn't even tense. She was treating it like the most natural thing in the galaxy. Finally, Vader retracted his hand and inclined his chin. "I won't fail you like I failed her," he said.

At once, Luke could sense the sincerity of Vader's words. The vigor with which he spoke was laced with a heartfelt remorse which not even Luke could dismiss as disingenuous. Conflict brewing within him, Luke bit his tongue and looked away.

He pretended as if he didn't understand why Leia had chosen to side with Vader, but in reality he understood it perfectly well. Of all the criticisms one could heap upon Vader, disingenuous wasn't one of them. Inversely, that was the only valid criticism one could make of Padmé. Her penchant for stretching the truth had bothered Leia far more than it had Luke. So whenever she heard what Padmé had to say, she always had a seed of doubt in her mind.

With Vader, however, there could be no doubt as to what his intentions were. He was as honest as they come. Although he was perhaps not as forthright as one could hope, he certainly was not duplicitous like Padmé had demonstrated herself to be. On top of that, he had been nothing but gentle, considerate, and paternal toward Leia. It was no wonder she had been swayed to his side.

"I will see you in the morning," he heard Vader say. Returning his attention to them, Luke watched as Vader picked up his helmet from the ground. "Goodnight, Leia," he said as he made to leave.

"Goodnight," Leia said in return. She hesitated before adding: "Father."

Luke and Vader both inhaled sharply, but whereas the latter smiled, the former winced. Pushing himself away from the column he had been hiding behind, Luke slipped away back toward the apartment and away from his guilt.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to end with a bang, so stay tuned!


	23. Obstinate

_Three days later_

"Good. That's very good."

Leia was on her knees in the center of her office in the Senate. Her eyes were shut tight and her brow was drenched with sweat as she extended her hand in front of her. Arm trembling with exertion, she focused her energies on the task ahead.

"Feel the Force flowing through you. Let it fill you up. Allow it to empower you."

Leia smiled triumphantly in spite of her exhaustion. She felt an incredible thrill whenever she tapped into the Force. It made her feel invincible. It made her feel alive! The power at her fingertips was intoxicating.

"Now I want you to set it down. Nice and easy."

Unable to maintain focus, Leia dropped her arm and the helmet she had been suspending went plummeting to the ground. It landed with a thud and rolled away toward Vader's feet.

"Did you see that?" Leia asked, eyes shining as she looked up at her father. "I did it! It was floating! That was incredible!"

Vader didn't seem to share her enthusiasm. Leaning down, he scooped up his helmet off the ground.

Utterly oblivious to Vader's discontentment, Leia continued to prattle on as she got to her feet. "I could never move things with the Force like that. I mean, I could get them to jiggle a bit, but that's really it. Ahsoka tried to teach me, but I never really got it. But now –"

"You failed," Vader interrupted bluntly.

Nonplussed, Leia blinked a few times before stammering: "What do you mean?"

"You seek power, but you must also exercise restraint," Vader lectured. His brow was furrowed and he was glaring down at her with a most displeased expression. He seemed to be upset with her.

"I don't understand. What did I do wrong?"

"You will not repeat my mistakes," Vader said without answering her. "I will not let you."

"What mistakes?"

Vader took a breath to recompose himself. "Forgive me," he said. "That was unwarranted." Leia tilted her head in confusion. She still had no idea what she had done wrong. "I have high expectations for you, that's all," Vader said as he took a step toward her. Without hesitating, he reached out and grabbed her by the shoulders. "Next time, I will be more specific in my instruction."

"…Okay."

"You have great power, Leia," Vader said. "You must learn how to control it before you can learn how to maximize it." With that, he released her and took a step away. "Do you understand?"

"I… guess," Leia said unconvincingly.

Vader smiled thinly. "I didn't understand either when I was your age," he told her. "But you are much smarter than I was then."

"You don't give yourself enough credit," she said. Her tone was light, but her message was less so. She was frustrated by her father's incessant self-deprecation. He was constantly denigrating himself, especially in relation to her. Time and time again he would tell her that she was so much better than him. For any adjective in the book, she was always the superlative in comparison to him. But it wasn't true! From everything she knew about him, her father was a wonderful man. Why Luke and Padmé couldn't see that was beyond her.

"It's almost time to go," Vader said. As always, he had brushed aside her compliment. He was obstinate in his refusal to admit any merits that he may have.

"Is it really?" Leia asked, stowing away her disappointment as she glanced at the control panel by the door. The chrono read five to one. "Oh!" she exclaimed. "Were we really training for that long? Why didn't you stop me?"

"You seemed to be enjoying yourself," Vader commented dryly.

"But I'm a mess!" Leia exclaimed. Frazzled, she wiped her sweaty forehead with the back of her hand and attempted to fix up her messy hair.

"Take all the time you need," Vader said before placing his helmet over his head. "The meeting doesn't begin until we arrive."

"I don't want to keep them waiting!" Leia said as she rushed over toward her desk. Taking a seat, she reached into a drawer and pulled out a holopad. "It would be terribly rude of us to be late," she said as she looked at her reflection in the screen.

Vader snorted in amusement. "Gentility has never been my forte, nor my priority," he said, voice now deep on account to the mask. Leia glanced up at him and suppressed a laugh at this grandiloquent statement. "I will be waiting in the hall," Vader told her. His cape billowed behind him as he spun around and left through the front door.

Returning her attention to her reflection, Leia did the best she could to fix up her fraying hairdo. Padmé had done it up for her that morning. Three plaits of hair converged into a bun behind her neck and a single intricate braid cascaded all the way down to her lower back. It was truly beautiful work, and Leia could appreciate the artistry and care which went behind it. Combining that with the elegant white dress she had picked out for her, and Leia had never felt so pampered.

Leia didn't know what to think about Padmé anymore. One thing she was sure of was that she abhorred her treatment of Vader. She spoke to him as if he was a monster, yet Leia knew him to be anything but. Despite that, she had come to realize that Padmé was far more complicated that she originally appreciated. Vitriol toward Vader notwithstanding, Leia could admit that Padmé was an endearing woman once she got to know her. Whenever she was alone with her and Luke, she epitomized all things maternal. She cared for them both deeply. Leia couldn't deny that fact. Nor could she deny that she enjoyed the attention Padmé gave her. There was something special about spending time with her and her alone. For three years, Leia had been practically starved of any female interaction in the male-dominated Rebellion, and she hadn't realized how much she had missed it until now.

How could she reconcile the irreconcilable facets of Padmé's identity? She was at once both her mother and her enemy. As Padmé, she was a desperately needed friend whom Leia could idolize and adore. Yet as Fett, she sought to tarnish Leia's relationship with Vader. Leia hated Fett. She wished that persona hadn't ever come to be. She wished her mother could be just that: her mother. And yet she was not. Instead, she was split to the core.

Realizing that she had drifted off in thought, Leia shook her head and returned back to the present. Determining that her appearance was satisfactory, she set the holopad down and stood up. She straightened out her dress and made her way to the door. Arriving in the hallway, she saw Vader waiting patiently against the wall with his hands clasped in front of him.

"How do I look?" she asked him.

Vader hesitated, and Leia realized that the question might have made him uncomfortable. She hadn't even thought about it. It was a testament to how comfortable she had become with him to not even think twice about asking something like that.

He quickly recovered, however. Despite his mask, Leia could hear the smile in his voice when he spoke. "Like your mother," he said.

Leia was lost for words. Never before had such a simple compliment resonated so profoundly with her. She gave her father a radiant smile before glancing down and giving her dress another unnecessary pat down.

"You're nervous," Vader noted.

"A bit," she confessed.

"Don't be," Vader instructed. "Anxiety serves no functional purpose. It is a weakness you must do without."

"You say that like it's so easy."

Vader looked away. "You will learn," he said. "Once you understand that you are powerful, you will cease to be afflicted with such debilitating emotions." Leia frowned at this. Before she could ask him to elaborate, Vader beckoned for her to follow him and took off down the hall.

Leia hurried after him. "I don't understand," she said, struggling to keep up with his long strides. "What do you mean by that?"

"As a Rebel, you lived in fear," Vader told her when they took a turn down another corridor. "Now you do not. This is the first step."

"The first step toward what?"

"Toward confidence."

"I am confident," Leia insisted.

Vader shook his head. "Not yet, you're not," he said. "When you reach the end of your training, you will understand what _true_ confidence is."

"It sounds like you're speaking from experience," Leia deduced.

"I used to be just like you," Vader said. "When I was a Jedi, I doubted my every move. Nobody in the Order ever believed in me. They didn't trust me, and because of that I didn't trust myself."

Leia could relate to this. The last people to truly believe in her capabilities had been the Organas. They had trusted her unequivocally. Everyone else either treated her like a little bird who needed to be protected or simply dismissed her as being too young and inexperienced to be trusted with anything. Ahsoka and Han were the primary culprits of this condescension in her mind.

But Vader wasn't like that. He believed in her just like Bail and Breha did. He trusted her to help with the negotiations with the Alliance and he placed faith in her abilities as a Jedi. Perhaps that was why she was flourishing under Vader's teaching whereas she had floundered under Ahsoka's. Her father believed in her whereas Ahsoka had done nothing but doubt her.

She and Vader walked in silence for the remainder of their short trip. Arriving at the conference room from three days prior, they performed the same ritual before entering.

"Ready?"

"Ready."

Entering the room, Leia was surprised to see a far more sizable delegation awaiting them than last time. Seated on either side of Mothma and Ackbar along the south end of the table were a half dozen or so Rebel generals and admirals. Conspicuously absent from the proceedings was the Vice Chair Mas Amedda. At once, Vader honed in on this as he walked over toward Amedda's empty chair.

"Where is the Vice Chair?" he asked the room.

"We figured he would be arriving with you, Lord Vader," Mothma said.

Vader grasped the back of Amedda's chair firmly. "I see," he growled.

Alarmed by Vader's reaction, Leia quickly stepped forward. "Perhaps the Vice Chair is merely running late," she said, although she knew this couldn't possibly be the case. No way Amedda would have been this late to a meeting of this significance.

Vader didn't respond to this. Instead, he pulled out the empty chair and gestured for Leia to take a seat. "In either case, we will start without him," he said. Leia met his gaze before sitting down at the head of the table. She could tell what Vader was thinking: Amedda must have been so disenchanted with the proposition Leia had presented to Mothma last time that he had decided to take matters into his own hands. What he planned to do, however, remained a mystery.

"I see you have invited your military brass to accompany us," Vader said once Leia had pushed her seat in. He took a step out from behind her chair and began slowly walking down the left end of the table. "I can only assume this means you intend to cooperate."

"That remains to be seen," Mothma said.

"Is that so?" Vader asked. "Tell me Senator, what else must we do to convince you of our sincerity?"

Mothma paused to glance at Leia. "We have some demands," she said, returning her attention to Vader.

"Demands?" Vader repeated. He seemed to be irked by the use of the term.

"I might remind you that you have very little leverage in these negotiations," Mothma told him. "You are asking a favor of us, and therefore we have every right to request concessions on your end."

Vader came to a stop behind the chair of General Rieekan. He kept his eyes on Mothma as he placed his hands on the back of the general's chair. "Leverage," he repeated, enunciating the word slowly. A tense silence ensued as he loomed over the terrified general. "Leverage is subjective, Senator," he said finally. Vader then reached to his belt and swiftly drew his lightsaber. Startled, Leia leapt to her feet.

"Put that away!" she demanded.

Vader swiveled his head to look at her. "Pardon?"

"You heard me. Put it away."

Vader seemed to be nonplussed by this demand. Lost for words, he merely stared back at her.

"I will not condone physical threats at these negotiations," Leia told her father. "So put it away. Now."

Vader hesitated for a moment longer before complying. He took a step away from Rieekan's chair and reattached the lightsaber to his belt. "Very well," he said.

Leia exhaled and returned to her seat. She pressed her sweaty palms against the table and turned to Mothma. "What are your demands, Senator?" she asked.

Mothma seemed to be just as caught off guard as Vader had been at her interjection. She cleared her throat and shared a glance with Ackbar before finding her voice. "I… well, we – the Alliance leadership, that is – have come to the conclusion that cooperation with Darth Vader would be impossible."

Leia held up a hand to stop Vader from responding to this statement. "Why might that be?" she asked.

"The leadership may understand the rationale behind this, but the individual soldier would not," Mothma explained. "The army would lose all faith in its leadership if it looked like we were following Darth Vader's orders."

Leia frowned as she considered this. It was a valid point. Vader was considered to be the primary enemy of the Rebellion, more so even than Palpatine had been.

"What is your alternative, Senator?" Vader asked as he began walking back toward the opposite end of the table.

Mothma reached under the table and produced a holoprojector. "This," she said before sliding it across the table. When it came to a stop, the device activated itself and a life-sized blue projection emerged. Leia gasped when she saw who it was standing above her.

" _Hello, Anakin,_ " said Ahsoka Tano. " _It's been a long time._ "

Vader came to a stop behind Leia's chair and stared up at the recording. She could tell at once that he was furious that Ahsoka would so casually use that name.

" _Senator Mothma informed me about the proposition you and Leia presented to her. I am encouraged to hear that you are willing to make concessions. As you might suspect, however, the Rebel leadership has expressed concerns with cooperating with you. I took it upon myself to present a counter-offer which I hope you will be willing to consider._ "

Ahsoka paused and Leia waited with bated breath for her to continue. Vader, meanwhile, had clenched his fists and was seething up at Ahsoka's projection.

" _The galaxy knows you as Darth Vader, but it doesn't have to. If you take off that mask and go by your true name, everything can be resolved. Anakin Skywalker can lead the forces of the Alliance. Darth Vader cannot._ "

Ahsoka continued talking, but Vader refused to listen. "Turn this off," he demanded, pointing a finger at Mothma. When she didn't react, Vader lost his cool. "Now!" he bellowed.

Startled, Mothma gestured to the general nearest to the holoprojector. The man reached out and deactivated it hastily.

"What is this?" Vader asked, voice trembling with anger. "Is this some kind of joke?"

"A joke? Lord Vader, no –"

"I will not tolerate these spurious accusations," Vader interrupted. "Tano is a renowned liar. I cannot believe you would take the word of this terrorist and murderer."

"Terrorist and murderer?" Mothma repeated.

"Don't pretend like you don't remember. She was expelled from the Order!"

Mothma arched an eyebrow. "I seem to recall that she was exonerated," she pointed out.

Vader swiped a hand angrily. "That is irrelevant!"

Leia spun in her chair and placed a hand on Vader's arm. "Calm down," she beseeched.

"Don't tell me to calm down!" Vader snapped as he pulled away from her. "This treatment is entirely unwarranted!"

Mothma stood up quickly. "Lord Vader, I do apologize if I offended you, but I don't understand what we did wrong."

"You don't understand? You don't, do you? Don't insult me!"

"Father, please," Leia whispered.

"I don't have to stand for this," Vader said, shaking his head. Giving Mothma one last murderous look, he spun around and marched out of the room.

Leia leapt to her feet. "Come back!" she called after him. Turning back to the Alliance delegation, she held up her hands apologetically. "Don't leave, I can fix this," she said in a high voice. With that, she hurried out of the conference room and after her furious father.

"Father!" she cried, no longer bothering to keep her voice down now that the door was closed. "Come back!"

Vader didn't slow down. His cape was swishing behind him as he marched down the hallway toward the elevator. Hiking up her dress, Leia ran in pursuit and managed to catch up with him when he pressed the button.

"Stop!" she pleaded. Grabbing onto his arm, she forced Vader to turn around to look at her. "What are you doing?" she hissed.

"I have never been so disrespected," Vader growled.

"Ahsoka wasn't disrespecting you! She just wants you to go by your true name, that's all!"

"Vader _is_ my true name!"

Startled, Leia released his arm and took a half step back.

"I don't know what sort of things Tano told you about me, but she lied," Vader rumbled as he pointed a finger at her. "Anakin Skywalker was weak! I killed him!"

"No, that's not true –" she tried to say, but Vader wasn't listening. Elevator doors opening behind him, he spun around and stepped into the lift. "No, don't go!" she said.

"I am your father," Vader said when he turned back to her. "You must accept me for who I am. I will not pretend to be someone I am not. Not for you, not for anyone!"

Leia shook her head. "But don't you see?" she said. "That's exactly what you're doing."

Leia could tell that she had stunned him with this comment. Vader didn't get a chance to refute it, however, because just then the doors to the elevator shut and he disappeared out of sight.

Frustrated, Leia mashed on the button to the elevator. Determining that it would be faster to take the stairs, she spun around and ran off in the opposite direction. Her ankle quickly gave way and Leia nearly fell to the ground.

"Blasted heels!" she growled to herself. Stopping to kick them off, she resumed running barefoot. Upon reaching the stairwell, she tore the door open and made her way down as fast as she could.

Leia instinctually latched onto her father's presence through the Force. It wasn't difficult. He was so incensed, she could feel his fury radiating outward in deafening waves. She scarcely needed to follow this metaphysical beacon, however. She knew exactly where he was going.

She arrived in the docking port to see Vader stepping into the speeder which they had taken together to the Senate that morning. The port was abuzz with a hubbub of people – seedy taxi drivers, babbling astromechs, and miscellaneous Imperial personnel were all milling about. Pushing her way through the crowd, Leia waved her hands to get Vader's attention.

"Stop!" she yelled.

Vader looked up just before he sat down in the driver's seat. Suddenly, she heard someone call out to her.

"Princess, no!"

Who had that been? She felt as if she recognized the voice, but she couldn't quite place from where. Spinning around, she tried to identify the speaker when a colossal explosion nearly lifted her off her feet. She staggered away until a stormtrooper grabbed her arm and managed to stop her from falling over.

"Clear the area! There's been an attack!"

Leia's ears were ringing. Dazed, she looked up to see a fiery inferno consuming the port all around her. Great pillars of black smoke billowed upward into the sky as the fire raged. Amidst the wreckage, she saw a familiar figure attempting to crawl away from the flames before collapsing.

"No!" she shrieked.

"Get her out of here!"

"No!"

"Princess!"

"Leia!"

"Rebels! Grab them!"

"Father!"

Vaguely, she registered someone trying to drag her away from the scene. She retaliated viciously, spit flying from her mouth as she screamed incoherently.

"Let me go! My father! Father!"

She tore herself free and rushed into the flames and toward the man she couldn't afford to lose.


	24. Chaos

"Secure the area. There's been an assassination attempt."

"There was reported Rebel activity in the area, but the two suspects managed to escape."

"We didn't get a good visual, but it seemed to be a man and a woman. We're checking the security footage now."

"There's an ambulance on the way now. Lord Vader was severely injured."

"The explosion affected three floors. Casualty count estimated to be in the dozens."

Chaos reigned.

Leia's white dress was tarnished with black soot and red blood. Her hands shook violently as she attempted to drag her father's unconscious body away from the carnage. His mechanical legs had been reduced to a jumble of wires and circuitry while his armor had been charred beyond recognition. The left half of his mask had been torn off in the explosion and she could see his eye had rolled back into his skull.

"Stay with me," she pleaded through gritted teeth. "You're going to be okay."

"You there! Stop what you're doing!"

Leia dropped Vader's arms and collapsed to her knees. She took her head into her lap and attempted to take off his helmet.

"Get her out of here!"

Leia looked away when she felt herself being pulled up by the armpits. "No!" she cried. "You don't understand!" She kicked wildly as two stormtroopers began pulling her away. Clawing at the hands on her shoulders, she lashed out in the only way she could.

"Ow!" a stormtrooper yelled. "She bit me!"

"Tase her!"

Before the stormtroopers could retaliate, Leia wrenched herself free and took off running in the opposite direction.

"Stop her!"

The stormtroopers opened fire, attempting to stun her. She weaved and dodged on pure instinct and managed to avoid all of their bolts. When she reached the door leading back to the Senate building, she was confronted by two more stormtroopers who were guarding the exit.

"Halt!"

Without knowing what she was doing, Leia swiped her hand without stopping. The stormtroopers went flying backward and collided into the wall. They fell to the ground, unconscious.

She didn't spare this a second thought as she ran into the Senate building. Fury propelled her toward the stairs. Her bare feet felt raw and her lungs were screaming in protest, but she continued to climb. Reaching the level in question, she exited the stairwell and sprinted toward the conference room. She extended her hand, and the door opened at her command.

"Leia! What happened?"

"You!"

Leia leapt on top of the table and charged toward Mothma who was standing at the opposite end. She was unable to react, eyes wide with shock as Leia's fist went barreling into her face.

"Senator!"

"Oh Force!"

"Someone stop her!"

Leia jumped off the table and on top of the prone senator. Her nose was bleeding profusely and her hands were held up in a desperate attempt to defend herself. Leia raised her fist to deliver another blow.

"Leia! I don't –"

"I know what you did! You tried to kill him!"

"No! No! I didn't! I swear! I have no idea –"

Leia tried to strike Mothma a second time, but she was prevented from doing so when three separate sets of hands grabbed her and pulled her away.

"There she is! Get her!"

"No! Back away!"

"Stand down, Rebel!"

"Lower your blaster! This is a diplomatic mission!"

Leia managed to free herself when she elbowed a general in the face. Spinning away from the Rebels, she held her hands up to the half dozen stormtroopers who had entered the room.

"It's them! They did it!" she yelled.

"Did what?"

"They orchestrated it! The Rebels tried to kill Lord Vader!"

"Who are you?" one of the stormtroopers asked her.

Leia didn't hesitate. "I'm Vader's daughter!"

The room froze. Clearly skeptical, the stormtroopers all looked at each other.

"You're lying," one of them said. "Lord Vader has no children."

"You want to test that theory?" Leia asked manically. "Arrest me, and see what happens." That gave the stormtroopers serious pause. Capitalizing on their indecision, Leia pointed at Mothma who was only now getting back to her feet. "She's the one responsible! Arrest her!"

Supported by Ackbar on the right and Rieekan on the left, Mothma wiped away some blood from her mouth before contesting this accusation. "That's absurd!" she said. "What proof do you have?"

"She's a Rebel! That's all the proof you need!"

"How dare you!" Mothma exclaimed. "You traitor!"

Incensed, Leia lunged at Mothma, only to be stopped by a pair of Rebel generals who grabbed her by the arms.

"Let me go! Let me go!"

Blaster fire pierced the air and Leia found herself released once more. The two generals restraining her fell to the floor, stunned.

"Back away from her. That's right. Do it!"

The Rebel delegation backed up with their hands raised as the stormtroopers moved forward.

"Line up against the wall! Now!"

"This is outrageous!" Mothma protested. "We are on a diplomatic mission! You have no right to treat us this way!"

"Silence," a stormtrooper barked.

"Rebel scum," another added.

"Keep them here," Leia ordered, standing behind the line of stormtroopers. "Don't let them leave."

"Nobody is allowed to leave the premises until the situation is contained," a stormtrooper told her. He seemed to be the commander of the group based on the orange designation on his shoulder. While maintaining his blaster on the Rebels, he spared a glance back at her. "That includes you," he said.

"What? No! I have to go! I have to find my father!"

"You're not going anywhere, ma'am."

"You don't believe me, do you?"

"It doesn't matter what I believe. I have my orders."

"And I'm overriding those orders!"

The stormtrooper shook his head. "It doesn't work that way, ma'am."

Leia stomped her foot. "I am Darth Vader's daughter!" she shrieked. "You will do as I say!"

Once again, the stormtroopers glanced at one another. "Do you have any proof of that?" the one on the far end asked.

Leia stormed over toward him. "Proof?" she repeated. "Is that what you want? Proof?" The stormtrooper hesitated momentarily before nodding. "I'll give you proof!" Thrusting her hands into the air, she sent the stormtrooper flying into the ceiling with a deafening crunch. The Rebels all gasped and the four remaining stormtroopers jumped backward in shock. Leia clenched her jaw and trembled with exertion as she kept the stormtrooper pinned to the ceiling. "Do you doubt me now?" she asked with a roar.

Everyone in the room shook their heads.

* * *

"Luke? What's wrong?"

Luke was shivering on the couch. His skin was clammy and his pupils were dilated. Looking up, he saw his mother standing above him with a concerned expression. He hadn't heard her approach. In fact, he hadn't known how he had gotten here in the first place.

"Are you sick?" she asked, kneeling down to place a hand on his forehead.

Luke shook his head. "Something horrible has happened," he said.

Padmé frowned. "Something horrible? Luke, what are you talking about?"

Luke winced as another wave of darkness washed over him. "It's… it's Leia," he realized. "She's…"

"She's what?"

His eyes widened. "Angry," he said.

At this discovery, the whole room suddenly erupted with an all too familiar sound.

"It's happening again!" Luke screamed over the klaxon. He stuffed his hands over his ears and got to his feet. "What did you do?" he asked his mother.

"Nothing, I swear!" she yelled.

"Then what triggered it?"

Padmé had no answer for him. Spinning around, she rushed off to the bedroom like she had last time. Preferring not to forge ahead without her, Luke decided to wait in the living room for her to get suited up. Amidst the chaos, Luke took the opportunity to contemplate what he had sensed.

At first, he had felt a horrible, all-consuming fear. At the time, he hadn't known _who_ had been afraid nor what had made them so afraid. He hadn't had more than a moment to consider this question when the fear had shifted into something far more tangible.

Luke had felt the dark side before, both in Vader and in himself back in the cave on Dagobah. He had been told by Yoda and by Ben that it was no more powerful than the light, but Luke had always doubted that. Now he could be quite sure that they had lied to him. The explosion in the Force he had experienced was the most seismic disruption he had ever experienced. And at its epicenter was Leia. What could have possibly happened? Was she responsible for this disturbance? Surely that wasn't possible.

Just then, his mother returned to the living room. As he had expected, she was now fully geared up in her Mandalorian armor. She pressed a button on her forearm and Luke saw the flamethrower begin to heat up.

"Let's go," she said.

The pair ran side by side out of the apartment and down the hallway to the patio. Accompanying the deafening alarm was a deep thudding sound which caused the floors to shake. The closer they got to the patio, the louder the sound.

"Luke, look! The shields."

Just like last time, the blue shields surrounding the apartment were rippling as it absorbed blow after blow. This time, however, it wasn't Leia at the base of the dome with a lightsaber, but a half-dozen or so soldiers operating a massive cannon.

"That's an E-Web!" he heard his mother exclaim.

"A what?"

"That thing can blast through anything! Come on, let's help them!"

Luke stayed where he was as he watched his mother run down the stairs toward the golden fountain below. Getting down on one knee, she raised her forearm and unleashed a wave of fire toward the point of impact just above the spigot. The two weapons worked in tandem to melt away the shields which finally flickered out and gave way after a minute of ceaseless barrage.

"Shields are down! Let's move!"

"Stay where you are!"

Padmé leapt to her feet and blocked the soldiers who had begun running up the stairs toward the patio. They stopped abruptly when she pointed her still-hot flamethrower at them.

"Who are you?" she asked.

"You first," a soldier demanded as he pointed a blaster back at her. A tense standoff ensued and Luke hastily made his way down the stairs toward his mother's side.

"Everyone lower their weapons!" He came to a stop at the top of the second flight of stairs and raised his hands. "You're with the Rebellion, right?" he asked the soldiers.

They hesitated. Before anyone could answer, they all spun around when they heard a speeder approaching. Lowering their blasters, they all rushed toward the edge of the patio to greet the new arrival.

"What the hell is going on?" Padmé asked him out of the corner of her mouth.

"No idea," Luke responded.

"How did it go?" he heard one of the soldiers ask.

Stepping out from the speeder was a burly female soldier. She whipped her hair back and rested her rifle on her shoulder. "Well," she answered. "The bomb went off, but we don't have the princess."

"The princess?" Luke called out. "Do you mean Leia?"

The woman soldier who seemed to be the commander of the group looked up at his voice. She squinted at him before stepping aside and glancing at someone in the speeder. "That him?" she asked.

"Oh yeah, that's him."

Stepping out from behind the commander was Han Solo. The lanky man swaggered past the commander and through the crowd of soldiers. Resting his foot on the bottom stair, he crossed his arms and looked up at Luke with a patented half-smile.

"Hey kid," he said.

Luke was stunned. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"Saving you, obviously." Han's expression turned sour when he shifted his attention from Luke to Padmé – or as he knew her, Fett. "I didn't know you would be here too," he said. His eyes scanned up and down before settling on her face. "Got to say, I'm surprised. You're not what I expected."

"What did you expect?" Padmé asked.

Han considered this. "I don't know. Maybe someone less –"

"I wouldn't finish that if I were you," Luke growled. Surprised, Han swiveled his head back to him. "Be careful what you say to my mother."

Han's eyes widened comedically. "Your what?" he asked.

"Enough of this," Padmé snapped. "What's going on here? Who sent you? How did you know where to find us?"

"We'll explain on the way," the commander answered. "For now, we need to get you out of here."

"I'm not going anywhere until you tell us who you are," Padmé said.

The commander shrugged. "Fair enough," she said. "My name's Cara. All of us except Captain Solo are Rebel shock troopers. We're here to rescue Commander Skywalker and Princess Leia."

"Not me?" Padmé asked.

"We didn't know you were here," Cara said. "Matter of fact, I don't even know who you are. Care to give me your name?"

Padmé raised her chin. "Boba Fett," she said.

* * *

"Make way. Make way."

Leia was had found herself in this situation several times before. Eight stormtroopers were marching around her in a rectangular formation – three in front, three behind, and one on each flank. This time, however, she wasn't being escorted to a prison cell. This time, they were operating on her orders.

"What's going on here?"

The procession came to a stop and the stormtroopers in front of her saluted.

"We're taking this woman to Lord Vader."

Looking through the line of stormtroopers, Leia saw that their path had been blocked by an Imperial officer with proud, greying sideburns.

"Lord Vader is incapacitated. Who gave you this order?"

"I did," Leia said.

The stormtrooper formation parted and Leia took a step forward. The officer wrinkled his nose as he took in her soot-stricken attire.

"And who might you be?"

Leia sneered at the supercilious officer. "I am your superior," she said importantly. "Now get out of the way."

The officer snorted in amusement. "I don't report to you. I don't even know who you are."

Leia narrowed her eyes and took another step toward the man. "What is your name, officer?" she asked.

The officer hesitated. Perhaps hearing the authority in her voice, he folded. "Lieutenant Joffe," he said.

"Well Lieutenant Joffe, are you familiar with what happens to people when they cross Lord Vader?"

Joffe arched an eyebrow. "You are not Lord Vader," he said.

"An astute observation," Leia quipped. Pointing a finger at the lieutenant's chin, Leia expression turned stormy and her tone darkened. "But if Lord Vader were to learn that you disrespected me, that would be very bad for you."

The lieutenant gulped at this threat. His eyes darted away from her toward the stormtrooper commander.

"It would be wise of you to step aside, sir," the commander told him.

The lieutenant hesitated for a moment longer before nodding. "Very well," he said.

"Lead us to him," Leia ordered.

Vader had been taken to the largest and most extensive hospital complex in all of Coruscant. The pristine white walls and highly sophisticated med droids inspired confidence, but Leia couldn't help but fear for her father nonetheless. He was fragile as it was, having lost all of his limbs twenty years ago. Could he really survive another traumatic incident like this?

He would have to. She wasn't going to lose him. She had only just started to get to know him! It wouldn't be fair!

But nothing ever was.

"Excuse me! Excuse me! You can't go in here!"

The procession was marching down a long hallway and had just reached an airlock leading toward the operating room when a female doctor came running toward them from the opposite direction. In her hands were two pint-sized bags of blood. Leia waved her stormtrooper delegation aside and approached the doctor.

"Is Lord Vader in there?" she asked.

"He is," the doctor confirmed.

"I need to see him."

"I can't let anyone in there. We haven't finished operating."

"Can you tell me what his status is?"

The harried doctor let out an exasperated sigh. "Please allow me to do my job," she requested. "Now, if you will excuse me."

Leia considered strong-arming the doctor for an answer but ultimately decided against it. "You heard her," she said to the stormtroopers behind her. "Get out of her way."

"Thank you," the doctor said before hurrying toward the airlock.

"Doctor, wait," Leia said just as the door opened. "Do you need more blood?"

The doctor turned to give her a strange look. "Are you looking to donate?" she asked. Her tone indicated that she was stunned that anyone would ever be so generous as to help Darth Vader.

Aggrieved on behalf of her father, Leia nodded curtly. "Anything I can do to help."

The doctor furrowed her brow. "That's, um… that's very considerate. You wouldn't happen to know if you share his blood type?"

"I suspect we do, but I can't know for sure."

"And why would you suspect that?"

"Because I'm his daughter."

The doctor's perplexed expression turned incredulous. "You're his…?"

Leia sighed. "You heard me, doctor."

The doctor blinked a few times. "I… very well, then," she stammered. "I'll send a droid out in a minute." Leia nodded and the doctor spared her one last curious look before stepping into the airlock.

The doctor was true to her word. A few minutes after she had left, a med droid emerged from the airlock and took Leia away to get her blood tested. Once it was confirmed that she and Vader shared the same blood type, the droid drew a pint of her blood.

Returning to the hallway, she requested that the stormtroopers and Lieutenant Joffe give her some space. They seemed more than happy to oblige. Once she was alone, Leia began to pace back and forth down the length of the hallway. Occasionally, a droid would leave the operating room, but they wouldn't tell her any more than the doctor had.

An hour had passed, and Leia had given up pacing in favor of sitting on the ground with her back pressed against the wall. Hands rested on the back of her head, she leaned forward and rested her forehead against her knees. Closing her eyes, she relived the horrible moment when the port had exploded. Fiery debris radiated outward and Leia found herself falling deeper and deeper into the abyss…

_Continue with the operation. You may fire when ready._

_What!?_

_You're far too trusting._

"Excuse me? Ma'am?"

Leia's eyes flew open. Realizing that she was digging her fingernails into the back of her skull, Leia unclenched and forced herself to take a deep breath. Craning her head up, she saw the doctor standing over her. Her tousled brown hair and ghostly pale skin spoke volumes about the stress she was under. No doubt she could see the same in Leia's similar dishevelment.

"We're done."

Leia arduously got to her feet. "And?" she asked. "How is he?"

"Alive," the doctor said. "He lost a lot of blood."

"But he's going to okay, right?"

The doctor hesitated. "Could you tell me more about Lord… I mean, about your father's prosthetics?"

"What about them?"

"What do you know about them? About how they were applied, perhaps?"

Leia shook her head. "Sorry, I don't know much," she said. "Why is this relevant?"

"I've never seen anything like them, that's all."

"So this is purely academic?" Leia asked harshly.

"No, of course not. Your father's legs bore the brunt of the explosion, which is a good thing considering they were artificial and can be replaced. We had to remove the prosthetics, but we had considerable difficulty with that."

"Why?"

"Because they were drilled into the bone."

Based on the doctor's grimace, Leia could tell that this was not standard procedure. "What are you telling me, doctor?"

The doctor pursed their lips before extending a hand to Leia. Wrapping it around her shoulder, she steered Leia away down the hallway. They walked away slowly for a few feet before the doctor spoke.

"I have never before seen an artificial limb affixed to a living being in such a barbaric way," she said in a heavy voice. "Not only would the procedure have been excruciatingly painful, but he must have been in agony with every step he took afterward."

Leia's mouth felt dry. She licked her lips and looked away from the doctor's solicitous gaze. "I… I didn't know."

The doctor stopped walking and turned to face her. "I would never allow any of my patients to endure that level of suffering. Not even if –" She stopped herself, but Leia knew what she had been about to say. "I want to help him," the doctor said after a brief pause.

"Help him how? By giving him new prosthetics?"

She nodded. "There are far more humane alternatives," she said. "Technology in this field has developed rapidly over the past decade. We can even fit him with synthetic skin if he wants."

"That sounds great," Leia said, yet internally she was brimming with questions. Why hadn't Vader sought out these upgrades beforehand? Had he not known that there was an alternative?

"I can't do anything without his permission, however," the doctor said.

"When will he be awake?"

"Not for a while, I'm afraid. We're waiting for his condition to stabilize first before we begin our first round of bacta treatment. He'll most likely be unconscious for at least the next twenty-four hours."

"I want to be here when he wakes."

The doctor stopped walking and turned to face her directly. "I would advise that you go home and get some rest," she said. "It looks like you went through quite an ordeal today."

"I can't do that," Leia said, and for more reason than one. She quite literally could not go home. The shields to the apartment only responded to Vader's voice.

"I can't make you do anything you don't want," the doctor conceded. "But there's nothing you can do for him today."

"I want to see him. Would that be possible?"

"I suppose."

"Then lead me to him."

"I must warn you, his appearance may be quite jarring."

"Lead me to him, doctor."

The doctor bowed her head and turned around. "Very well," she said with a sigh.

Leia followed her back down the hallway and into the airlock. Once the door had sealed shut behind them, a jet of pressurized air blasted them both before they were permitted entry into the operation room.

She paled when she laid eyes on the figure on the bed. The stumps of his legs were wrapped in a heavy gauze and Leia instinctively felt squeamish when she looked at them. Eyes gravitating upward, she saw that he had been stripped out of his suit and his torso was bare. Burn marks pocked his flesh from his hips up to his shoulders. The few blotches of skin which had not been affected by the blast were practically translucent because of how pallid it was.

It was a gruesome sight, yet Leia pushed forward in spite of her discomfort. Coming to her father's bedside, she suppressed a sob when she looked down at his face. The entire left half was coated in a shiny ointment. Scabs and scars blotted out much of his countenance. The right half had miraculously avoided comparable damage, and were it not for that, Leia would have had no way to know if the man before her was her father.

"The bacta will help with the scarring, but he will never look exactly the same," she heard the doctor say from the corner of the room. "All things considered, it's a miracle he avoided as much damage as he did."

Leia shut her eyes and released a shaky breath. Feeling nauseous, she took a half step away from the bed.

"Perhaps there's something you could help us with."

Leia glanced up at the doctor. "Yes?" she asked weakly.

The doctor was holding the breastplate of her father's armor. The buttons were all flashing and a warbling alarm was blaring from the speaker. "Do you have any idea how to turn this off?"

Leia frowned as she walked over toward the doctor. Taking the breastplate from her, she considered the complex array of buttons. Hesitantly, she pressed one at random.

" _Alarm system at home base activated,_ " the speaker announced before falling silent. Leia's eyes widened.

"What does that mean?" the doctor asked.

Leia handed the breastplate back to her. "They're trying to escape," she growled. The doctor blinked a few times in bewilderment and Leia looked up to meet her gaze. "I have to go," she said. "I have to stop them."

"Stop whom?" the doctor asked.

"The traitors," Leia snarled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Dark side Leia is best side Leia. Sorry, you can't change my mind.


	25. Collateral Damage

"Did we really have to pack _all_ of your clothes?"

"I need them, Luke!"

Letting out a sigh, Luke sealed the final suitcase and wiped his brow. While they had been packing up Padmé's extensive wardrobe, he had been fighting off a looming sense of dread. The commander had made reference to a bomb going off. What had she mean by that? Had Vader been the target? That certainly would make sense considering they were intending to rescue Leia.

"Let's get these out of here."

Luke nodded and lifted two of the suitcases off the bed. Activating the antigrav, he guided them away while Padmé did the same with the other two.

When they reached the living room, he paused to take one last look at the apartment. While he had effectively been a prisoner during his time here, Luke also had come to think of the place as home. After all, it was the first place where he had really been with his family.

Padmé seemed to share his moment of melancholy. Stopping next to him, she placed a hand on his shoulder.

"It's time," she told him softly. When Luke didn't respond, she gave his shoulder a squeeze. "Hey," she said. "I'll be with you."

Luke turned to give her an appreciative smile. "I know," he said. That was what really mattered. Home was with her. The apartment didn't mean anything.

"Come on," his mother said. "Let's go."

Luke followed her without a moment's pause. Making their way down the hallway, they emerged on the patio to find the shock troopers packing up the E-Webb cannon while Han and Cara talked at the bottom of the nearest flight of stairs.

"I don't know, Solo," he heard the commander say. "She seemed really bent up about it."

Han shook his head vigorously. "You're wrong," he said with an agitated swipe of his hand. "She was his prisoner!"

"It didn't look like that to me," Cara said.

Han opened his mouth to answer, but stopped when he saw them approaching. "Took you long enough," he called out. "What were you packing in there, Fett? All your bounty?"

"No, actually," Padmé said when they came to a stop at the top of the stairs.

"Then what?"

"Dresses, mostly."

Han blinked a few times in puzzlement. Before he could speak, however, Luke cut him off. "What were you two talking about?" he asked.

"We'll tell you later," Cara said. "Right now, we need to get out of here."

"My son and I deserve some explanations from you two," Padmé said with far greater authority than Luke could have ever mustered.

"There's no time."

"Then make time."

Cara and Han looked at one another. Before either could respond, however, one of the soldiers below called out to get their attention.

"Commander Dune! There's a speeder incoming!"

Cara spun around and walked past the couches toward the stairs. "A speeder?" she asked. "Where?"

Discarding their luggage, Luke and Padmé hurried down the stairs and followed after Han toward the edge of the veranda. Cara was holding a set of binoculars to her eyes and looking at something on the horizon.

"Do you recognize that vessel?" she asked, lowering the binoculars and pointing toward a rapidly approaching vehicle.

Padmé squinted at the speeder yet Luke didn't bother to look. The Force was rippling with seismic waves of anger and fear. And at it's very core was an intimately familiar presence.

"It's Leia."

Han spun around. "What?" he asked.

Luke took a step toward Han and grabbed him by the collar of his shirt. "What did you do, Han?"

Han's eyes widened when Luke shook him. "What do you mean?"

"To Vader! What did you do to him?"

"Vader?"

"Tell me!"

"Skywalker, let him go!"

"Hey! Don't talk to my son like that!"

"Han! Tell me what you did!"

Han didn't get a chance to answer, because just then the speeder came to a screeching halt in front of the veranda. Leaping out of the driver's seat was Leia. She soared high in the air before landing gracefully at the base of the stairs. Luke tried to call out to her, but he stopped when she drew two lightsabers – one red and one blue.

"Stand down!" Cara ordered when the shock troopers all pointed their weapons at Leia. "Lower your blasters!"

The soldiers all hesitated before begrudgingly complying with the order. Once they had all backed off, Padmé went rushing down the stairs. "Leia!" she cried. "What happened?" She stopped abruptly when Leia slashed her sabers into the marble ground.

"Stay back!"

Stunned, Padmé held up her hands. "Leia –"

"Shut up!"

Luke pushed Han aside and hurried down a few steps to his mother's side. "Leia, calm down and tell us what happened," he requested.

Leia's arm trembled as she pointed the red lightsaber at him. "Don't lie! You know what happened!"

Caught off guard by this accusation, Luke faltered. "I, uh… I don't," he said.

Leia seemed to sense the sincerity of his confusion. "Well, if you don't, she does!" she screamed, pointing her lightsaber to Padmé.

"Leia, lower the lightsaber."

She ignored him and instead pointed the blue one at Han. "And you!" she roared. "You were there, weren't you? You did this!"

"Leia, I –"

"Mothma sent you, didn't she? Don't deny it!"

"Princess, please," Cara said as she descended the stairs toward her. "We weren't operating on anyone's orders. We were trying to save you!"

Leia shrieked and Cara went flying backward. She crashed into the stairs by their feet and her head whipped back into the marble. At once, the soldiers all raised their blasters again.

"Don't shoot! Don't shoot!" Luke pleaded frantically.

"You tried to kill him!" Leia bellowed. With that, she charged forward with her lightsabers raised high.

"No!"

The shock troopers all opened fire. Leia managed to deflect a few of the bolts, but she didn't know how to properly wield the lightsabers. One bolt grazed her shoulder and another struck her directly in the thigh. She stopped in her tracks and screamed in pain.

"Stop!"

While Luke and Han were frozen with shock, Padmé leapt down the stairs toward Cara's unconscious body. Reaching for the holster on her belt, she drew Cara's blaster and pointed it at Leia. Setting it to stun, she opened fire and hit Leia square in the chest. Her lightsabers fell out of her hands when she collapsed to the ground, unconscious. Springing to her feet, Padmé raised her arm up high and activated her flamethrower.

"Stay away from her!" she yelled as she unleashed a wave of flames toward the soldiers. They all dived out of the way to avoid the salvo. Padmé turned the flamethrower off, but she kept Cara's blaster raised as she approached Leia's prone form. "Stay where you are! Don't come any closer!" Satisfied that the soldiers weren't going to approach, Padmé kneeled down by Leia's side.

Only then did Luke finally regain control over his limbs. He jumped down the stairs and rushed toward his mother and sister. Seeing the lightsabers on the ground a few feet away, he stopped to scoop them up before falling to his knees by Leia's other side.

"How badly is she hurt?" he asked.

Padmé shook her head as she applied pressure to the wound to Leia's thigh. "We need a med kit," she said.

Luke looked up and called to Han who was still standing at the top of the stairs. "Han! We need a med kit!" Han didn't look as if he had heard him. His eyes were wide and he was staring back at Leia with a stunned expression. He probably couldn't recognize her. Luke wasn't sure if he could either.

"You there!" Padmé said to a soldier who had just gotten back to his feet. "Get me a med kit now!"

"We don't have one, ma'am."

"Why the hell not?"

"There's one on the _Falcon_."

At his voice, Luke and Padmé swiveled their heads back toward Han.

"Where is it? Is it nearby?"

"It's, um… it's close."

"Then what are you doing standing there?" Padmé asked. "Let's go!"

* * *

Leia woke up with a groan. As she rubbed her eyes and attempted to sit upright, she registered a jolt of pain in her thigh. She let out a yelp and reached for her leg. Blinking a few times as she adjusted to the darkness, Leia saw that the hem of her dress had been torn off and her left thigh was heavily wrapped with gauze.

How had she gotten here? And where was here, exactly? Taking great care to avoid aggravating her wounded leg, Leia propped herself up against the pillows and looked around. She knew this place. This was the guest room in the _Falcon._

It all came flooding back to her. Having taken the two lightsabers from her father's belt – his red one and the one which he had been holding for her – she had commandeered a speeder and left for the apartment. Upon arriving, she saw that the shields had been breached and the patio was bustling with activity. Half a dozen or so Rebel shock troopers, one of whom she recognized as her fellow Alderaanian Cara Dune, had come to break out Luke and Padmé. To further complicate things, Han Solo had been accompanying them. He had most likely provided the transportation, Leia belatedly realized.

The thought of Han's betrayal caused renewed anger to surge within her. Ignoring the dull ache in her thigh, she stood up off the bed and limped toward the door. She grit her teeth when she arrived in the hallway and a wave of lightheadedness threatened to knock her over.

"Leia? Leia, what are you doing?"

Looking up to see Luke running toward her, she allowed herself to lower her guard. He alone could be trusted. He hadn't been a part of the plot, or so it seemed.

"Where is Solo?" she asked with a growl.

"You shouldn't be on your feet."

"Take me to him, Luke."

Luke blocked her path to the main hold when he came to a stop in front of her. "Let me take you back to your room," he said, placing a hand on her shoulder.

"No!" She swiped Luke's hand away. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine, Leia."

Leia let out an exasperated sigh and attempted to push past Luke. At first he didn't yield, but he ultimately thought better of it.

"Let me help you," he said.

She begrudgingly accepted his assistance. Wrapping her arm around him, she leaned on his shoulder to lessen the weight on her left leg. They plodded forward in this cumbersome manner a few more meters until they arrived in the main hold.

"Leia!"

Leaping out of her seat by the checkered table was Padmé. She was still dressed in all of her Mandalorian armor.

"Stay where you are," Leia snarled. She scanned the room. The main hold was packed with shock troopers. They were all standing attentively and giving her suspicious looks. Her eyes gravitated toward Cara Dune who was standing against the back wall with an ice pack held to her head. The Alderaanians met each other's gazes before Padmé's voice compelled her to look away.

"Leia, I know you think I'm responsible, but I'm not," she said. Ignoring Leia's demand that she stay back, Padmé walked toward her with hands raised. "Luke and I had no part in this."

"All you ever do is lie," Leia snapped. "Why should I believe you?"

"Because it's true," Cara Dune said and Leia swiveled her head back to her. "We had no communication with Commander Skywalker or Ms. Fett."

Leia arched an eyebrow. "Ms. Fett?" she repeated.

"Nor were we operating on anyone else's orders," Cara continued. "This was all Captain Solo's idea."

"It was, was it?" Leia asked viciously.

"Yeah, it was."

The group of soldiers by the technical station parted to reveal Han Solo standing in the circular doorway. His expression was inscrutable as he stared back at her. After several moments of tense silence, he took a few steps forward and began talking.

"I got contacted by HQ for consultation. The head of intel told me that they had received a communique from Mothma and they wanted my opinion on something. When I showed up, they told me that Mothma thought you had been taken hostage by Vader and were being forced to do his bidding."

"That's a lie!"

Han shrugged. "She said you had an ugly bruise on your forehead and had suddenly switched sides for the Empire. I thought it was pretty conclusive evidence, but the Rebels refused to send a rescue mission. They thought it would be too much of a risk and could jeopardize the negotiations with the Empire."

"So you decided to do it on your own," Luke said.

Han offered a strained smile. "You know me too well, kid," he said in a feeble attempt at humor. "Chewie and I would have done it ourselves had Commander Dune not found out what I was up to and offered to help."

"So Mothma didn't tell you to do it?" Leia asked.

"She did not."

Leia retracted her arm from Luke and limped toward Han. Looking up at him, she contemplated his expression for a few moments before slapping him across the face. Shocked, he staggered away and held a hand up to his reddened cheek.

"I hate you!" she screamed.

She reared back to strike him again, but was stopped when Padmé rushed forward and grabbed her. "Stop this now!" she demanded. "There has been enough violence as is."

"He deserves it!" Leia cried as she struggled against Padmé's grip. "He tried to kill him!"

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Han asked. "I saved you!"

Leia was too furious to even formulate a response. Instead, she bared her teeth and strained as hard as she could to free herself. Padmé's hold on her was too strong, however.

"Calm down!" she yelled in her ear. "Don't make me stun you again!"

Leia ceased struggling when she felt a sharp pain in her thigh. Gasping, she looked down to see blood soaking through the gauze.

"Well, now you've done it," Padmé said. When Leia went limp, she dragged her away toward the bench. Setting her down with a thud, she stood up and crossed her arms irritably. "What am I going to do with you?" she asked.

Leia tried to come up with a snide retort, but she found that she was too exhausted to speak. Sinking into the cushioned padding, she bit down on her tongue to alleviate the pain in her leg.

"Give us some space, would you?" she heard Luke say. "You especially, Han."

"Gladly," the smuggler said.

The soldiers all filed out of the main hold and soon she was alone with Luke and Padmé. Opening her eyes languidly, she saw them both standing over her with concerned expressions.

"Do you think we should rewrap it?" Luke asked.

"In a bit," Padmé said. "First we need to talk."

"I don't want to talk," Leia mumbled.

"Well too bad, you're going to," Padmé said without compassion. "Cara gave me her account of the story. I want to hear what you have to say."

"About how they tried to kill my father?"

Padmé flinched when Leia referred to Vader as that. "Yes," she said crisply.

Leia closed her eyes again and sighed. "What else is there to say?" she asked. "You heard what happened. They blew him up."

"Cara said that you were running after him. What happened?"

"He was angry," Leia said vaguely.

"About?"

She rubbed her eyes and sat up straighter. "I didn't understand," she said. "Ahsoka showed up and he lost it."

"What do you mean Ahsoka showed up?"

"Mothma brought a recording of her. The Rebels weren't willing to cooperate with Vader because of all the blowback it would cause, so Ahsoka suggested that he go by his real name instead."

"And that's what made him angry?"

"He said that Darth Vader was his true name and that… and that he killed Anakin Skywalker."

A heavy silence followed this statement. Leia looked up and was surprised to see an almost sorrowful expression on Padmé's face.

"What's his condition?" she asked finally.

Leia shuddered involuntarily. "Horrible," she said. Tears began to well up in her eyes when she pictured in her mind Vader's mangled body. "I… I need to go back. I need to be there when he wakes up."

"I can't let you do that."

"What? Why not?"

"It's too dangerous to go back."

"Too dangerous? How is it dangerous?"

"Think about it, Leia. The Rebellion has been accused of attempting to assassinate Darth Vader. You'd be arrested the second you step foot on Imperial Center."

"No I wouldn't!" Leia insisted.

"You're a known member of the Rebellion! Of course you would!"

Leia hesitated. "You're wrong," she said after a moment of consideration. "The stormtroopers listened to me."

Padmé frowned at this. "They listened to you?"

"I told them the truth. I told them I was Vader's daughter."

"Leia, how could you!?"

"I had to do it. They wouldn't have let me leave the Senate otherwise."

"But Leia –"

"It's done, okay? And it worked! They believed me."

"They did?" Luke asked, clearly skeptical.

"After some persuasion," Leia mumbled.

"What does that mean?"

Padmé held a hand up to Luke. "You can't be telling people that, Leia," she said. "If the Alliance were to find out –"

"They already do."

Padmé's mouth fell open. "What!?"

"I'm not ashamed of it," Leia said, elevating her chin in defiance. "You might be, but I'm not."

"You do realize what you've done, don't you? You can't ever go back to them. Not now. They'll consider you a traitor."

"I don't care what they think."

"This affects us too, Leia! What about Luke? Do they know about him?" Leia shook her head. "And what about me?" Padmé asked. Leia was about to shake her head again when she stopped.

"Well, Mothma knows that you're my mother," she said. "So yeah, I guess she does know."

Padmé threw her hands up in the air. "Leia!" she exclaimed.

"What does it matter? Nobody knows who you are. You're Boba Fett, right?"

Padmé exploded at this comment. "I don't want to be him anymore! I don't want to have to wear a mask! I want to be myself again! I want to be your and Luke's mother! But I can't do that anymore! I'll never get to be myself ever again! All I'll ever be is Vader's wife! Don't you understand? You ruined me, Leia! You ruined me!"

Stunned, Leia stared up at Padmé with wide, unblinking eyes. She watched as Padmé pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration and spun around to pace away a few lengths. She stopped in the center of the main hold and sighed loudly.

"I don't want to have to put that mask back on, but you've given me no choice," she said.

Pressing her hands against the checkered tables, Leia struggled up to her feet. Luke stepped forward to help her, but she waved him off.

"I'm sorry," she said candidly. Padmé bowed her head and didn't respond. "I can fix this."

Intrigued, Padmé turned back around. "What do you mean?"

"I can make it so that you'll never have to wear a mask ever again," she said.

Padmé furrowed her brow and took a step toward her. "How?" she asked.

"By making Vader take off his."


	26. Trigger Happy

"Alright, you can take that off now."

Leia and Padmé had – after much tribulation – successfully navigated labyrinthine hospital complex and finally arrived in the hallway leading to the operating room where Vader had been the morning prior. At her instruction, Padmé unveiled herself and wrapped the face scarf she had been wearing to this point around her neck.

"I don't know about this. You're taking a big risk by lying to him."

Leia dismissed Padmé's demurral with a shake of her head. "Don't worry," she said. "This is going to work. Trust me."

Padmé grumbled something under her breath, but Leia didn't bother try to discern it. Instead, she marched purposefully down the hallway toward the airlock. As if on cue, the doctor Leia had met yesterday stepped out into the hallway right when they reached the door.

"Oh," she said. "You've returned." Her eyes darted toward Padmé. "And you are…?"

"An acquaintance," Leia said.

The doctor frowned. "I must insist that family only be permitted into Lord Vader's room."

Leia faltered. During her moment of indecision, Padmé took the initiative. "I'll handle this," she said. Glancing over at her, Leia was alarmed to see Padmé reaching for her holster.

"Hey!" she exclaimed.

"What?"

"You can't just kill her!"

"I wasn't going to kill her!"

"Or stun her!"

Padmé hesitated before lowering her hand away from her holster. "Fine," she said.

Leia returned her attention to the startled doctor. "I'm sorry about that," she said. "My friend here can be a bit trigger happy."

The doctor nodded nervously. "I, um… I'm sorry, but I can't allow –"

"I understand that you have a protocol, doctor, but Lord Vader will want to see her," Leia interrupted. "He would be quite upset if he found out you refused to permit her entry."

The doctor gulped. "He would?"

Leia gave her a sympathetic look. "I am usually able to calm him down, but I can't guarantee that he wouldn't… lash out. Do you catch my drift, doctor?"

She nodded vigorously. "Of course, forgive me," she said. "Take as much time as you need. He's asleep still, but he should wake soon."

"How is he?" Padmé asked.

"He completed the second round of bacta treatment an hour ago. He has one more scheduled for tomorrow, but he is recovering remarkably well."

"That's good news," Leia said.

"It's miraculous, considering the circumstances," the doctor said. "If you'll excuse me."

"Of course," Leia said as she stepped aside. "Thank you for your work, doctor."

Eager to depart, the doctor smiled thinly before hurrying past them down the hallway. Leia and Padmé watched her for a few moments before looking at one another.

"Do you always resort to violence?" Leia asked.

"Do you always resort to threats?" Padmé countered.

"A little fear won't kill anyone. A blaster on the other hand –"

Padmé raised her hands in surrender. "Alright, point taken. Let's just get this over with."

Sparing Padmé one last disapproving look, Leia turned to open the airlock. The pair stepped inside and were greeted by the sterilization jets. Once they were deemed clean to enter, the exited the airlock and into the operating room.

At once, Leia could see a marked improvement in Vader's condition. The gruesome burn marks which had once covered his skin had faded to reveal unblemished skin with a rosy pink hue. He had an assortment of scars snaking up and down his torso and a few blotches of bruised flesh, but other than that, he looked quite healthy.

As she approached the bed, she noticed for the first time how emaciated he was. She could count every one of his ribs and his muscles were atrophied. When he was in the suit, he gave the impression of strength and brawn, but now she could see that it was an illusion. In fact, without his prosthetic legs, Vader appeared tiny, especially in comparison to the hulking man with whom she had become accustomed.

"He looks better," Leia said faintly. Looking up, she saw that Padmé had not followed her to Vader's bedside and was still standing by the airlock. "What are you doing?" she asked.

Padmé chewed on her lower lip as she stared at Vader's sleeping figure. Her eyes glistened as she scanned him up and down. She took a hesitant step forward, but seemed unable to move any closer.

Leia felt as if she could understand Padmé's behavior at least somewhat. When Han had brought Luke back to Echo Base after the wampa attack, Leia had been terrified to see the injuries he had sustained. At the time, she had been afraid that the Luke she had known wouldn't ever be the same. While that had ended up not being the case, Padmé hadn't been so fortunate. She actually had lost Anakin, and now she was seeing the physical proof of that. The man that lay before her was a mangled husk of the one she had once loved.

Returning her attention to her father, Leia tentatively extended a finger to his face and ran her knuckle along his cheek. The left half of his face had a few minor scars and a patch of gauze was covering his eyebrow which presumably had been sheared off in the explosion. Much to Leia's dissatisfaction, they had shaved off her father's luxuriant hair and all that remained was blonde stubble. But other than that, he looked entirely recognizable to her. The doctor was right. His recovery truly had been remarkable.

Vader's eyes fluttered and Leia quickly retracted her finger from his face. "Father?" she asked in a whisper. "Can you hear me?"

He turned toward her voice and made a guttural sound. He lazily opened his eyes and grinned when he saw her. "Leia," he mumbled.

She laughed at his expression. "Hey there."

He raised his mechanical hand and pointed a finger at her. "You're my daughter," he said in a slurred voice. He then reached up and poked her on the nose. Startled, Leia blinked a few times as Vader let his hand drop back to the bed. "My girl," he said before closing his eyes with a contented sigh.

"Don't fall asleep just yet," Leia said gently. "We need to talk to you."

"We?" Vader asked.

Leia glanced up at Padmé. "There's someone here to see you," she said.

Vader made a soft humming sound as he nestled his head into the pillow. Amused, she shook her head good-naturedly before prodding him on the shoulder.

"Come on, wake up," she said, yet Vader ignored her. Turning to Padmé, she beckoned her forward. Unsurprisingly, she hesitated, but eventually she did take a few steps forward until she was at Leia's side. "Father?" she asked, looking back down at him. "Could you wake up?"

Vader remained unresponsive. After a few seconds, Leia was about to insist more forcefully when Padmé spoke up. "Anakin," she said with authority. "Wake up."

Startled to hear her voice, Vader's eyes flew open. "Padmé?" Husband and wife stared at each other silently for a few moments until the former frowned. "What are you doing here?" he asked. He then glanced around at his surroundings. "Where… where am I? What happened?"

"You don't remember anything?" Leia asked.

Vader scrunched up his forehead as he concentrated. "I was… with you," he said. "And then…"

"There was an explosion," Padmé said. "You were badly injured."

"I… I don't remember."

"That's okay," Leia said.

Vader's eyes widened when he looked down at his body. "My legs," he said.

"The doctors had to remove your prosthetics," Leia said. "They were too badly damaged in the explosion."

Vader didn't seem to be listening. He started breathing heavily as he attempted to sit upright. "No, no, I don't want… I don't want to."

Leia shared a concerned look with Padmé. "What don't you want to do?" she asked.

"He… he's going to trap me."

"Trap you?"

"Padmé! You have to help me!"

"Calm down!" Leia exclaimed when Vader began to thrash about in his sheets. When she reached out to restrain him, she was suddenly flooded with a flash of memories which moved so fast that she barely had time to register them.

_It's over, Anakin!_

_You underestimate my powers!_

_Don't try it!_

_You were the Chosen One!_

_Master! Help me! Help me!_

The visions were cut short when Leia heard a bang. Padmé had her arms around her and was dragging her away from Vader's bedside.

"Leia! Leia, are you okay?"

She nodded dazedly. "Father…"

"It's okay. I took care of it."

The door to the operating room suddenly opened and in ran the doctor. "What happened?" she asked. "I heard –" She abruptly shut up when Padmé released Leia and pointed her blaster at the doctor's face.

"Leave," she commanded.

The doctor raised her hands and took a step back. "What happened?" she asked.

"We had an incident," Padmé said. "Lord Vader needed to be… restrained."

The doctor's mouth fell open. "You blasted my patient?"

"What!?" Leia exclaimed.

"No! No, I didn't!" Padmé said, lowering the blaster. "I stunned him, that's all."

"How could you?" Leia asked, aghast.

"He grabbed you. What else was I supposed to do?"

"He wasn't going to hurt me!"

"You don't know that."

"Step away from my patient!" the doctor demanded. "Now!"

Leia and Padmé both complied and the doctor hurried forward. Producing a flashlight, she tested Vader's pupils before looking back up at them.

"That was incredibly irresponsible of you," she reprimanded. "My patient is in an extremely fragile state. You could have killed him!"

Padmé raised her chin in defiance. "In that case, I would have done us all a favor."

Leia gasped. "How dare you!"

"I will always choose you over him. You know that."

"You're looking for an excuse to hurt him!"

"That's unfair."

"He's suffering so much already! Why do you want to inflict even more pain on him?"

Padmé's steely expression faltered and she looked away toward Vader. "I don't," she said softly. "I don't want him to suffer."

Leia considered this somber confession for a moment before holding out her hand. "Give me the blaster," she ordered.

Padmé's moment of melancholy passed as indignation caused her to turn back to Leia. "Not a chance," she barked.

"Okay, then." With a flick of her wrist, Leia summoned the blaster from Padmé's hand and snagged it out of the air. Stunned, Padmé stared at her blaster with wide eyes. "You have to learn to stop using this," Leia said as she clipped the blaster to her belt.

Padmé was about to offer a retort, but was interrupted when they heard Vader groan. Spinning back to him, she saw Vader rubbing his forehead with his mechanical hand.

"Lord Vader, can you hear me?" asked the doctor.

"What happened?"

The doctor glanced up at Padmé. "Your guest –" she began to say, but Leia cut her off.

"You passed out," she said. "You were saying something about being trapped?"

Vader's face turned solemn. "Oh right. That."

Leia and Padmé approached his bed. "You're going to be okay," Leia told him. "It's not going to be like last time." Vader looked up at her. "The doctor is going to help you," she said. Clearing her throat, she looked up at the doctor. "I'm sorry, I never got your name."

"Vezara," she said.

Leia bowed her head in appreciation. "Doctor Vezara's going to fit you with much better prosthetics," she told Vader.

"Better how?"

Vezara pursed her lips. "Lord Vader, may I ask who was responsible for applying your first prosthetics?" she asked.

Vader's lip curled with bitterness. "The Emperor," he said.

"I see," Vezara said. "Perhaps it would have been better if a medical professional had overseen your surgery."

"How come?"

"Your prosthetics were very crudely applied. The metal was drilled directly into your bone."

Vader nodded. "I was told this is how these surgeries are performed."

Vezara blinked a few times in surprise. "You were misinformed, Lord Vader," she said faintly. When Vader stared at her blankly, Vezara elaborated. "The manner in which your prosthetics were applied is not a recommended medical procedure."

"Why not?"

"It is considered inhumane."

"Inhumane?"

"The pain these prosthetics caused you must have been excruciating."

Vader shrugged. "I suppose," he said meekly.

"You've been in pain all this time?" Leia asked. "Why didn't you tell anyone?"

"Who was there to tell?"

Leia felt a pang of sorrow at this question. Vader had been completely and utterly alone for the past twenty years. Leia and to a lesser extent Luke had been the first people to have gotten close to him since he put on the suit.

Vezara resumed speaking, and Leia pushed aside this depressing thought. "If you are willing, I would like to remove your remaining two prosthetics and apply you with four of the most advanced mechanical limbs we have available to us. They should provide you with greater range of motion and will not cause you any discomfort. Furthermore, we now have the ability to create synthetic skin. Your mechanical limbs will therefore look, for lack of a better term, normal."

Vader looked away as he considered this. "That sounds… promising," he said.

"You will be able to look like how you were before you lost your limbs," Vezara told him. "You will no longer have to wear a body suit and you can return to your natural height, if you so wish."

Leia could tell at once that this suggestion would not be taken well. Before Vader could react, therefore, she spoke up. "Thank you, doctor. Could you give us a few minutes? We'd just like to… talk about some things."

Vezara gave Padmé a suspicious glare. "I suppose," she said. "I'll be in the hallway."

Once she had left through the airlock, Vader released his frustrations on to them. "My natural height? What a ridiculous thing to say!"

"You have to forgive the doctor for her lack of tact," Leia said diplomatically.

"It's not a lack of tact, it's a lack of decency!" Vader rumbled.

"Forget she said that, okay? You're still going to do the surgery, aren't you?"

Vader crossed his arms in front of his chest. "I want my suit back," he said petulantly.

"What? Why?"

"I'll take the new prosthetics, but I'm not changing my appearance. No synthetic skin. No changes to my height. I want to look the same."

Leia scratched her temple. She couldn't let Vader do that. What she had said to Padmé was literal as much as it was metaphorical. In order to get Vader to take off his mask he needed to be out of the suit. Otherwise, he would never become Anakin Skywalker again like she needed him to be.

Before she could attempt to change his mind, Vader looked away from her toward Padmé. "How are you here?" he asked. He hadn't been lucid enough to ask this question before, but now it must have dawned upon him that she shouldn't have been able to leave the apartment without him.

"I broke her out," Leia said.

Vader spun his head back to her. "What?"

"I was scared," she said. "I thought you were going to die." The lie worked so well because it wasn't really a lie. The statement was true, it just didn't explain how Padmé had managed to escape the apartment.

Vader's incredulous expression softened. "I see." Leia waited for him to ask the next question about Luke, but fortunately he did not. That would have been much harder to explain. Luke had stayed back on the _Falcon_ with the Rebels because it was too risky for him to be on Imperial Center.

"So listen, I think you need to fix some things before your next bacta treatment," Leia said.

"What are you talking about?"

"The Rebels were blamed for the explosion and were taken into custody, but I don't think they are responsible."

Vader furrowed his brow. He clearly hadn't thought about who was responsible until now.

"It doesn't make any sense," Leia continued. "They were planning on cooperating with you. Blowing you up would be inimical to their interests." When Vader nodded absently, she proceeded with the lie she had fabricated. "So I was thinking that someone else did this. Someone else who would have wanted you dead."

"Amedda."

Surprised that Vader had come to the conclusion before she could even say it, Leia was momentarily speechless. "Um… yeah," she said. "That's exactly what I was thinking. He was furious when we proposed granting the Rebels concessions and he didn't show up to the meeting yesterday. He must have been behind this."

"I never trusted him," Vader growled. "He's always been Palpatine's puppet."

"You need to have him arrested," Leia campaigned.

Vader shook his head. "He'll be long gone," he said. "Most likely went to team up with Gideon."

"Maybe," Leia conceded. "But you should still let the Rebels out of prison."

"No," Vader said. "Let them stay there."

"What?"

"Prison is where they belong."

"But they didn't do anything wrong!"

"They disrespected me."

"But –"

"Don't fight me on this, Leia. By releasing them, I would be condoning their actions."

"What actions? All they did was make one little suggestion! They just want you to go by a different name, that's all!"

"I am not doing it! I am not going to pretend to be someone I'm not!"

"Are you afraid?"

Surprised to hear Padmé finally insert herself into the conversation, both Vader and Leia fell silent. "Afraid?" Vader repeated. "I'm not –"

"Yes you are," Padmé interrupted. "You're afraid of who you once were."

"No –" Vader tried to say, but Padmé didn't let him speak.

"It's okay," she said. "I'm afraid of myself too."

Vader stared back at her with his mouth agape. "You are?"

"I am," she confirmed. "But I had to face myself for the sake of my children. Luke and Leia's mother isn't Boba Fett, and neither is their father Darth Vader."

Vader remained silent as he absorbed this information. He glanced at Leia and contemplated her for a moment before speaking. "You're wrong," he said to Padmé. "I am Leia's father. You may not like it, but it's the truth."

Leia's face fell at this comment. He fundamentally misunderstood how she viewed him. She thought of him as her father, but only when he took off the mask and ceased to be Vader.

"Leia, would you give us a moment alone?" Padmé requested.

"Alone? Why –"

"It will only take a moment." Leia met her gaze and Padmé gave her a reassuring nod. Give me a chance, she seemed to be saying. Leia had to be willing to give her that. If anyone could convince Vader to change, it was her.

"Okay," she said. She spared Vader one last look. He seemed to be as confused as she was, but no doubt he was intrigued to hear what Padmé had to say. "I'll go talk to the doctor, I guess," she mumbled before turning around and departing through the airlock.

Arriving in the hallway, she saw Doctor Vezara leaning against the wall. She looked absolutely exhausted. The woman probably hadn't gotten any sleep over the past few days. Hearing her approach, Vezara turned to see her.

"Has he made a decision?" she asked.

Leia pursed her lips. "We're trying to convince him."

"He has reservations?"

Leia sighed and bowed her head. "He's afraid."

"Afraid? Of what?"

"I have no idea."

A long silence followed these heavy words. Leia turned back to look at the airlock and wondered what they could be talking about.

"That woman in there is your mother, isn't she?"

Leia spun back toward the doctor. "My… mother?" she repeated, feigning bemusement.

"You look so much alike."

Leia chuckled softly. "Yeah, I guess we do." Her humor turned somber as she pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration. "I just wish we were more alike on the inside, too."

"It's good to see that you trust her, though."

Leia looked up and frowned. "What do you mean?"

Vezara gestured to Leia's belt. "You gave her the blaster back, didn't you?"

Leia's eyes widened as she patted her belt. Sure enough, there was no blaster to be found. "Oh no," she gasped.

She took off running toward the airlock and wrenched the heavy door open. She heard Vezara calling after her, but she ignored her. "Open! Open, damnit!" she yelled as the pressurized jets in the airlock sanitized her. She pulled as hard as she could on the door, but it wouldn't yield. Finally, she was deemed clean enough to enter and the door opened with a hiss.

She barreled into the operating room to see Padmé at Vader's bedside aiming the blaster at his forehead. She twirled around to see Leia and at once pointed the flamethrower on her left arm at her. "Back up!" she yelled. "Don't come any closer!" Her voice was trembling and her eyes were shining with unshed tears.

Leia raised her hands. "No, please don't –" she begged, but Vader stopped her.

"It's okay, Leia," he said with remarkable calm. He then craned his head to lock eyes with Padmé. "Go ahead. Do it." Padmé swallowed hard as she pressed the blaster into his forehead between his eyes. "I deserve it."

Padmé's whole arm shook and she bit down hard on her tongue to stabilize herself. "You do," she said through gritted teeth.

"So do it."

All was still. Padmé opened her mouth, but no coherent words came out. "I… I…"

"Kill me!" Vader bellowed.

Padmé pulled the trigger.


	27. Unforgivable

"I deserve it."

"You do."

"So do it."

As Padmé struggled with herself, Leia subtly moved her hands which were still held up in surrender. She closed her eyes and probed the safety on the blaster. Her skills in the Force were not attuned enough for her to be able to make such a precise strike, but Leia had no choice but to try.

"Kill me!"

The safety clicked and the weapon was set to stun just before Padmé opened fire. Vader's head jerked back and crashed into the headrest behind him. He was alive, however. Leia had saved him.

"N-no," Padmé stammered to herself. Hands shaking violently, she dropped the blaster and it clattered loudly against the floor. "What have I done?"

Leia wasted no more time and took off running toward Padmé. Caught off guard, she had no time to defend herself when Leia went barreling into her. Both women fell to the ground hard and Leia managed to pin Padmé under her knee. With her free hand, she summoned the discarded blaster and pointed it at Padmé's face.

"Don't move an inch," she growled.

Padmé hadn't seemed to hear her. Her eyes were swimming with tears and her chin was trembling. Nonplussed by her emotion, Leia lessened the pressure she was exerting on her stomach.

Just then, the door to the operating room flew open and in ran Doctor Vezara. "What happened?" she asked. "Did she stun him again?"

Leia's expression hardened. "She tried to kill him."

"I… I did it. I killed him."

"What!?"

"Don't listen to her. He's still alive."

"He's dead. He's gone."

"Shut up!"

Padmé shut her eyes and turned her head away from Leia. Cheek pressed against the floor, she continued to weep in earnest. Unfazed, Leia looked up at Vezara.

"I need you to call security," she told the doctor.

"Are you sure?"

"Do it!"

Intimidated, Vezara hastily departed. Turning back to Padmé, Leia bared her teeth at the woman and tightened her grip on the blaster.

"You only agreed to come with me so you could kill him," she snarled. "You were never going to give him a chance."

Padmé didn't react to the accusation. She was sobbing hysterically and entirely unable to register her surroundings. Determining that she was no longer a threat, Leia lowered the blaster and got back to her feet. She tilted her head as she loomed over Padmé's supine figure.

The assassination attempt had torn her apart. But why? She hadn't reacted that way after she had tried to kill Vader the first time on Bespin. She had been operating as Fett then. Could that explain the difference?

Leia didn't think so. Back then, she hadn't known who Vader was. He had been a faceless monster entirely dissociated from the man she had once loved. The pathetic person lying in this hospital bed wasn't a monster, however. Not even Padmé could have deluded herself into thinking that.

When she had pulled the trigger the first time, she had been trying to kill Vader. But when she had done it this time, she had been trying to kill Anakin. The deed had been immeasurably more difficult for her because after all this time, she still loved him. That was something Leia had doubted until now. It was a horrible irony that Padmé had to try to kill Anakin for Leia to finally believe that she loved him.

The door opened a second time, and Leia spun around to see a contingent of stormtroopers filing into the operating room. Leading the rear was a familiar face.

"Lieutenant Joffe," Leia said, relieved that she wouldn't have to explain herself to the Imperials for a third time.

The lieutenant saluted. "The doctor informed me of your heroics, Ms. Vader," he said, and Leia flinched at this name. "Is that the culprit?" Joffe asked, gesturing to Padmé who was still lying spread-eagled on the ground.

"It is," Leia said hoarsely.

"Very good. Take her away."

Leia wringed her wrists as the stormtroopers stepped forward. Two of them leaned down and picked up Padmé's limp body.

"Did you stun her?" Joffe asked when Padmé's head lolled forward.

"No, she just… um… I don't know."

"No matter," Joffe said and gestured for her to step aside. "We will take her to join the other Rebels in prison."

At this, Padmé's head shot up. "No!" she screamed. "Leia, please!" The stormtroopers attempted to restrain her as she began to flail wildly. "No! Not again! Not again!"

"Stun her!" Joffe commanded.

"No, don't!" Leia exclaimed.

"Leia! Don't send me back there! Please don't! Please!"

The stormtroopers disregarded Leia's objection and stunned Padmé several times in the back. She ceased struggling and her body went limp again.

"Don't worry, Ms. Vader," Joffe said. "We will take care of this. Troopers, take her away!"

Padmé's feet dragged against the ground as the stormtroopers carried her away by the elbows. Leia turned around to watch, her mouth hanging open and her conscience muddled.

* * *

Luke was seated in the cockpit of the _Millennium Falcon_ with his chin on his chest. He rubbed his forehead wearily with his thumb and index finger. All of a sudden, he had just gotten so tired. He felt as if something bad had happened, but he couldn't identify what.

"How you doin' over there?"

Luke looked up languidly to see that Han had spun around in his pilot's seat. As always, he exhibited an air of impassivity – hands rested behind his head and one leg draped over his opposite thigh – yet Luke could see through the façade. He knew that Han felt horrible about how things had gone with Leia.

"I'm fine," Luke said gruffly. "How long until we get to the rendezvous point?"

Han snorted and Chewbacca chuckled from the copilot's chair. "We're already there, kid."

Luke sat upright at this information. "We are? But when –"

"While you were dozing off, Chewie and I were docking to the command ship," Han told him. His expression turned more serious as he leaned forward in his seat. "Care to tell me what's goin' on with you?"

Luke stood up abruptly. "I told you, I'm fine," he snapped.

Han frowned as he got out of his chair as well. "Leia being pissed at me, I get," he said. "But you too? I just don't get it. What the hell did I do wrong?"

Suddenly, Luke found himself getting angry. He took a step toward Han and pointed a finger in his chest. "You have no idea what you put her through, do you?"

Han raised his hands. "I was a bit of a jerk, I get that –"

"A bit of a jerk? Han, are you for real right now?"

"What?"

Luke was about to unleash a tirade on the unsuspecting smuggler, but he stopped himself just in time. This wasn't Han's fault. He had no idea that Vader was Leia's father, nor would he ever learn that. At least, Luke wouldn't be the one to tell him.

"Just stay away from her, okay?" he demanded. "You'll only make things worse." Luke then spun around and made to leave the cockpit, but Han stopped him by grabbing onto his wrist.

"Luke, I –" Han stopped talking when Luke gave him a glare. Releasing his wrist, Han took a step back. "Just tell me this," he requested. "Do you love her?"

Luke blinked once in surprise. He wasn't quite sure how to respond. The answer was of course yes, but not in the way Han was thinking.

"Fine," Han said when Luke didn't answer. "Be like that." He gestured to Chewbacca and the pair pushed past Luke out of the cockpit.

Luke stood there for a few moments as he stared absently out of the window. He couldn't deny that he had been extremely upset at Han after Leia had told him about the pilot's crass behavior of late. Seeing him for the first time since Hoth, however, Luke could see that there was more to this story than Leia had presented. Han genuinely cared for her, and perhaps he did in fact love her. Luke suspected he just hadn't known how to go about expressing his feelings to her, and so he had resorted to flamboyance as he so often did. Things had gone poorly, and now he was desperately trying to make amends.

Whatever Han did, however, he only seemed to make things worse. He had tried apologizing, but Leia had dismissed him as being disingenuous. He had then tried to be heroic by rescuing her, but that had only caused Leia to hate him for nearly killing her father. Perhaps what Han needed to do was stop trying so hard. Leia cared for Han as well, Luke knew that. She loved him for who he was, not for who he pretended to be. The only problem was that Han spent more time pretending to be someone he wasn't than he did being his actual self.

Could Luke present this advice to Han? Sure, he could. But would he? Probably not. Luke liked Han – once you got past the coarse exterior, he could be an exceptionally loyal friend and a surprisingly considerate person – but that didn't mean he wanted him anywhere near his sister. Perhaps there was still a bit of residual competition between them, but Luke knew there was more to it than mere spite. Leia could do better than Han, he just knew it.

Realizing that he had been staring out the window for a good five minutes, Luke shook his head and turned to leave. Seeing that the main hold was entirely empty, Luke made his way down the hallway and toward the exit. The dingy grey walls turned a miraculous white when he stepped off the _Falcon_ and onto the Rebel command ship. Proceeding down the hallway, he saw the shock troopers were saluting to someone who had come to greet them.

"It's an honor to meet you, ma'am," he heard Cara say.

"And I you, soldier."

Refusing to make eye contact with Han, Luke came to a stop next to him and Chewbacca behind the row of shock troopers. Rising up on his toes, he attempted to see past the soldiers.

"If it isn't Luke Skywalker."

The formation in front of him separated and Luke found himself face to face with a female Togruta. At once he knew who this was.

"Ahsoka," he said.

She arched an eyebrow. "You know me and I know you, yet we have never been acquainted," she said. Smiling wryly, she took a step forward and extended her hand to him.

"Leia told me about you," Luke said as they shook.

"And she told me all about you," Ahsoka said in in turn. With a glint of humor in her eyes, Ahsoka considered him for a moment before glancing over her shoulder toward a brawny older man with a snowy white beard. "What do you think, Rex? Feel a bit like a blast from the past?"

The soldier stroked his chin as he scrutinized Luke's face. "Eh, not really," he said. "Too short."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke asked.

"Never you mind," Ahsoka said with a wave of her hand. She then turned her attention back to Cara Dune. "You and your contingent are expected in the situation room," she told her. "Bring Captain Solo and the Wookiee with you."

"Yes, ma'am," Cara said. "Will you be accompanying us?"

"In a minute. Rex and I need to talk with Commander Skywalker first."

"Very well."

Cara saluted and then gestured for her contingent to follow her. Luke could feel Han's eyes on him, but he refused to look at him. Taking the hint, Han shook his head and turned to follow the shock troopers. Once they had taken a turn out of sight, Ahsoka's expression turned more serious.

"You need to tell us what happened on Coruscant," she said in a hushed voice. When Luke glanced at Rex, Ahsoka added: "He knows everything I know. You can trust him."

"Alright," Luke said. "Let's go back to the _Falcon._ "

Luke led the way down the hallway and back into the freighter. Making their way down the curving hallway toward the main hold, Luke realized something.

"Hey, I've got something of yours," he said.

"What do you mean?" Ahsoka asked from behind him.

Reaching the main hold, Luke turned around and unclipped one of the lightsabers from his belt. "Leia said this first belonged to you," he said as he offered the hilt to its creator.

Ahsoka's eyes widened. "Where did you get that?" she asked.

"Vader gave it to Leia to use."

"He gave her a weapon?"

"He was training her."

Ahsoka and Rex shared a look at this. "As a Sith?" Ahsoka asked.

Luke shook his head. "Didn't seem that way," he said. "He was just teaching her the basics, I guess." Ahsoka blinked a few times as she processed this. "Here," Luke said, extending the lightsaber further. "Take it."

Ahsoka shook her head. "I don't think I can take that," she said faintly.

"Why not?"

"I left it behind for a reason."

Luke had no idea what this meant, but he was smart enough not to press further. Realizing that Ahsoka wasn't going to accept the lightsaber, he offered it to Rex instead. "How about you hold on to it, then?" he suggested.

Rex's eyebrows shot upward. "Me?"

"Why not? I have no need of two." With his left hand, Luke patted the other lightsaber dangling from his belt. He felt far more comfortable with that one, anyway. It was designed identically to the one he had used for the past three years, but it did have one unfortunate discrepancy. The blade to this saber was red rather than blue.

Rex hesitated. "Sorry, kid," he said after a moment's consideration. "A weapon like that doesn't belong to a clone."

Luke was about to concede defeat and return the lightsaber to his belt when Ahsoka spoke up. "He held on to this for all these years?" she asked.

Luke scratched his temple. "I guess so."

Ahsoka pondered the lightsaber for a long moment. "You know what? I think I will take it back."

Luke smiled. "I'm glad," he said when Ahsoka took it out of his hands. She inspected the hilt cautiously, her forehead scrunched and her lips pursed. It was as if she feared it might explode any second. Finally, she looked up from the weapon and met his gaze.

"Thank you," she said.

Deciding that no response was required on his part, Luke turned around and paced a few lengths away toward the technical station. "You said you have questions," he said as he stopped to pick up the shabby fighter helmet off the wall. He smiled thinly before turning back to his companions. "Ask away."

"The specifics are immaterial at the moment, but we need to know a few things," Ahsoka said. "First off, where is Fett?"

Luke clenched his jaw. "You mean my mother?" he asked. Once again, Rex and Ahsoka glanced at each other. "She's with Leia," Luke said.

"And where is Leia?"

"With Vader."

"They went willingly? Why?"

"Leia had a plan, but she wouldn't share it with anyone."

"A plan?"

"She seems to think Vader can be turned."

Ahsoka and Rex were silent as they each furrowed their brows. "Seems like you were wrong again, Rex," Ahsoka said eventually.

"No need to rub it in," Rex grumbled.

"Wrong about what?" Luke asked.

"Rex here thought that Leia wouldn't give him a chance. I thought she would."

"You say that like it's a good thing."

"It _is_ a good thing."

"You think he deserves a chance?"

"I know he does."

Luke set the helmet aside and crossed his arms. "You know what he's done, don't you?"

"Of course I do."

"So you know he tried to kill my mother."

"I know that's what Padmé says."

A spark of anger flared up within his at the unspoken accusation. "She's not lying!" he exclaimed. "How could you even think that?"

"I know Padmé very well," Ahsoka said. "She lies so often because her life is a lie. She pretends to be Boba Fett rather than her real self."

"Not anymore."

"Oh no?"

"She's done being Fett," Luke said, raising his chin with pride. "She said so herself."

"And you believe her?"

"Implicitly."

Ahsoka considered this response for a moment before smiling. "You know, you're a lot like her," she said.

Luke blushed. "Yeah, she told me that too."

Ahsoka's expression sobered. "There's something else we need to talk about," she said.

"What's that?"

"The disturbance. I presume you felt it."

Luke looked away. He hadn't identified it as a disturbance, per se, but he had certainly felt something when he was in the cockpit. "I think so," he said. "Do you know what it was?"

"I was going to ask you that."

"Why me?"

"The way I see it, the only people who could possible account for a disturbance like this are your father or your sister. You are much more closely bonded to them through the Force than I."

"You think Leia could be behind this?"

"You don't?"

Luke was about to insist that he didn't, but something stopped him. He remembered how furious Leia had been when she tried to stop them from escaping the apartment. He had sensed the darkness within her then, and it had terrified him.

"This presents a danger for us, Luke," Ahsoka said. "If it's Leia, we need to bring her back to the light. If it's Vader, we need to do anything in our power to get Leia away from him."

"You'd be willing to risk everything to rescue her?" Luke asked.

"I'm already about to risk everything," Ahsoka said. "We all are."

"What do you mean?"

"You and I are going back to Imperial Center."

Befuddled, Luke looked at Rex who nodded. "I'm going too," he said.

"I don't understand, why would we do that?"

"The Alliance is on its last legs," Ahsoka told him grimly. "Intel tells us that the Empire had our entire delegation arrested for conspiring to assassinate Vader. The remaining leaders of the Alliance have already decided to send a rescue mission. It's all hands on deck now, so they called me out of hiding for this mission. As the only other Jedi available to us, you're naturally coming along as well."

"But invading Imperial Center would be suicide!"

"We aren't invading. We're sending a detachment of our most elite soldiers. You and me along with Rex and his fellow clones and Dune and her shock troopers. About two dozen operatives in total."

Luke chewed on his lower lip nervously. "I don't know about this," he said.

"Neither do I, but it's the only option we have."

* * *

The hallway was bitterly cold. To her left, Lieutenant Joffe was droning on about something while Leia stared blankly ahead at the cell door in front of her.

She hadn't wanted to come here, but after Vader had been taken away for his third and final bacta treatment, Leia had felt obliged to check in on her other parent. She felt horribly conflicted about having thrown Padmé in prison. The sheer panic in her eyes had been tragic for Leia to see. What type of a daughter did such a thing to her mother?

But she had no choice. Padmé had lied to her for the last time. She had claimed to believe in her, but in fact the only reason she had come with her to Imperial Center was to kill Vader. The woman had to be stopped. She had gone completely mad.

"Ms. Vader?"

Leia looked up at Joffe. "Don't call me that," she snapped.

"What name would you prefer?" asked the obsequious lieutenant.

Leia faltered. "You will call me princess, ma'am, or nothing at all," she settled on saying.

"Very well, Princess."

Leia suppressed a shiver as she turned away from Joffe to look back at the cell door. She stared at it for a long while before summoning up her courage.

"Open it, Lieutenant."

"Yes, ma'am."

Joffe stepped forward and activated the control panel on the wall with a swipe of his keycard. Upon pressing a green button, the cell door opened vertically.

"Wait for me here," Leia instructed.

"Yes, ma'am."

She took a step forward. Pausing at the precipice, she peered down into the cell. Three stairs descended into a dark, featureless room. Along the back wall was a bench, but there was no one seated there. As her eyes adjusted, she made out a pitiful figure curled up in the corner of the cell.

"Padmé?" she asked.

No response.

Leia made her way down the stairs and took a few cautious steps toward the unresponsive woman. She swallowed hard, her guilt augmenting with each passing moment.

"Mother."

At this behest, Padmé looked up. Her eyes were glassy and bloodshot while her forehead was covered in little red dots where she had dug her fingernails.

"Leia," she said. Her voice was cold, distant, and monotone. It evinced a woman with nothing left. A woman defeated.

"I wanted to give you a chance to explain yourself," Leia said.

Padmé's lips curled into a sneer. "Why bother?" she asked. "You won't believe a word I say."

Leia winced at the accusation. "I never wanted it to come to this," she said.

"Neither did I," Padmé agreed.

Silence lingered as Leia contemplated her pallid face. "Do you regret it?" she asked finally.

"Regret what?"

"You know what."

Padmé shook her head. "Do I regret loving him? Do I regret marrying him? Do I regret believing in him?" She sighed and closed her eyes. "No," she said. "I don't regret any of it."

"What about trying to kill him? Do you regret that?"

"No."

That wasn't the answer Leia wanted to hear. "How?" she asked. "How can you love him yet still want him dead?"

Padmé's composure disintegrated at this question. Face contorting with anguish, she began to claw at her temples. Unable to watch her do this to herself, Leia kneeled down by her side and grabbed her wrists.

"Stop that," she demanded. "You don't need to hurt yourself."

"It's all my fault!" she wailed, voice startlingly loud as it echoed off the cell walls. "I ruined him!"

"Don't say that."

"I could have helped him. I should have helped him! But I lied to myself. I lied and lied and lied." Padmé leaned away from her and pressed her forehead against the wall. Her voice was muted when she continued her soliloquy. "Everything he did, he did for me. He thought he was going to lose me, and that's exactly what happened. He turned into Vader because of me."

"Do you forgive him?"

Padmé turned back to her sharply. "Forgive him?" she repeated. "Of course not. He can never be forgiven. Not after everything he's done. But that doesn't mean I don't still love him."

"Then why did you try to kill him?"

Padmé's chin trembled. "I asked him to come back," she said in a whisper. "I asked him to forgive himself even if I couldn't."

"What are you talking about?"

Tears streamed forth from Padmé's eyes, yet she didn't bother to wipe them away. "He's too afraid," she said, fraught with despair. "He can't bear to face himself. He told me… he told me he'd rather die than become himself again. He'll never take off that mask, Leia. Never. Not for me, not for you, not even for himself."

Leia refused to listen to this. "I don't believe you," she said. "You're lying again!"

"I wish I was. More than anything, I wish I was."

Leia stood up and pointed an accusative finger at her. "You're right! This is your fault! You refused to believe in him!" Padmé didn't try to defend herself and Leia found herself growing even angrier because of this. "I don't need you! I'll bring him back all by myself!"

"You can't bring back someone you never knew."

Leia shook her head vigorously. "I'll show you!" She spun around to depart, but Padmé's feeble voice stopped her.

"Don't leave me," she pleaded.

Fists clenched and face taut, Leia stared at the exit. She could feel Padmé's desperation as if it were her own. It gnawed at her conscience, yet she made herself suppress any sympathy. This woman had tried to kill her father. That was all that mattered. The fact that she was her mother was irrelevant.

"Leia. Please."

A tear escaped Leia's stoic eye. "I'm sorry," she said before marching up the stairs.

The cell door closed behind her with a deafening clang.


	28. Duel of the Twins

Leia was marching down the hallway in the medical center toward her father's room. Joffe was a step behind, following her like a shadow. He had made himself immeasurably useful to her, but nevertheless she found him annoying. The lieutenant was the worst kind of sycophant.

As she approached the airlock, Leia glanced back at Joffe when she saw an Imperial officer in a sleek grey uniform speaking with Doctor Vezara. "Who is that?" she asked out of the corner of her mouth.

"Admiral Piett, ma'am," Joffe told her. "He is Lord Vader's right hand man."

Piett turned to see her and Joffe approaching. He was a nondescript man – average height and build with a thin, bland face. Despite that, he exhibited an air of confidence and authority. This wasn't a man she could push around like all the others.

"This is her?" he asked Vezara. The doctor nodded, anxiously glancing between her and Piett.

"Is something the matter, Admiral?" Leia asked.

Piett frowned. "I know who you are," he said. "You are the Princess of Alderaan and a known member of the Rebellion. Why are you pretending to be the daughter of Lord Vader?"

Leia flushed with indignation. "I'm not pretending," she insisted.

The admiral scoffed. "You can't honestly believe –"

"She isn't lying," Vezara interjected. Surprised, Piett and Leia both swiveled their heads to her.

"Pardon?" Piett asked.

Vezara gave Leia an apologetic look. "You must forgive me, but I took the liberty of testing a sample of your blood," she said before turning back to Piett. "Lord Vader is this woman's father," she informed him with certitude.

Stunned, Piett gave the doctor a wide-eyed look. "You're sure?" he asked.

"Step aside, Admiral," Leia commanded. "I would like to see my father now."

"I'm afraid you can't do that, ma'am," Vezara said. "Lord Vader just returned from his bacta treatment. He needs rest now."

"I won't be long," Leia said. She really needed to talk to him.

"I'm sorry, but I must insist," Vezara said. She held up a hand when Leia opened her mouth to object. "Don't push me," she warned. "You may see your father in a few hours."

"What am I supposed to do until then?" Leia asked. It wasn't as if she had anywhere to go. She could go back to the apartment, but she'd much rather not.

"I was here to see Lord Vader as well, but perhaps you and I should talk instead," Piett suggested.

Leia gave him a curious look. "What about?" she asked.

Piett glanced at Vezara and the doctor took the hint. Backing away, she opened the door to the airlock and slipped away.

"Let us walk," Piett said, gesturing down the hallway with a gloved hand. "Lieutenant, if you wouldn't mind staying here."

Joffe seemed aggrieved by the order, but neither Leia nor Piett stayed behind long enough to hear him complain. They walked away in silence for several meters until they were out of ear shot.

"I never knew Lord Vader had a daughter," Piett said.

"Neither did he," Leia said. The less Piett knew, the better.

"I can see that it is not my place to ask questions, so I shall refrain from doing so," the admiral said.

"I appreciate that, Admiral." This gentleman was nothing like the Imperials with whom she was familiar. He was polite, refined, and professional. No wonder her father had chosen him as his second in command.

The pair exited the hallway and took a turn down one of the main corridors of the hospital complex. A pair of Rodian doctors passed them by, and when Piett spoke again, he kept his voice low.

"I am not here solely as a personal courtesy to Lord Vader, although I am of course relieved to hear that he is doing well."

"Then why are you here?" Leia asked.

"I received a transmission from Vice Chair Amedda," he said, expression grim as he looked down at her. "He informed me that Moff Gideon's forces will be descending upon Imperial Center within the day and that I have no choice but to surrender my fleet to them."

"Surrender? You can't do that!"

Piett surreptitiously glanced around the corridor before responding. "I am afraid I have no choice. The Moffs have rallied around Gideon as their leader and he has amassed a massive armada. The few ships I have at my command won't stand a chance."

Leia bit her lower lip as she considered this development. "You can't surrender, Admiral," she said.

"I don't want to, but I also don't want to throw away my men's lives in an unwinnable battle."

"I understand that, but you need to give me a chance."

"You? What could you do?"

"I can get you reinforcements."

"You can? How?"

Leia didn't get a chance to answer because just then she heard someone call out to her.

"Princess!"

Spinning around, she saw Joffe jogging toward them. His typically smug expression was fraught with panic.

"What is it, Lieutenant?" Leia asked irritably.

"It's the Rebels! They're escaping!"

"What!?"

"I received a distress call from the prison complex! Rebel agents have infiltrated the lower levels! And two Jedi were with them!"

"Slow down, Lieutenant," Piett said.

"Two Jedi?" Leia asked. Who could that be? Surely Luke wouldn't have come back, would he?

"That's what I heard from the distress call," Joffe said. "What are your orders, ma'am?"

"I will handle this," she said. Leia then looked up at Piett. "Do not surrender to Gideon's forces," she instructed. "Stall for time if you must."

Piett met her determined gaze with pursed lips and a furrowed brow. "The Empire cannot fall to Gideon," he said. "I will do what I can."

Leia bowed her head to her newfound ally. "Thank you, Admiral. I won't let you down."

She made to leave, but Piett called her back. "Princess, wait!"

Leia gestured for Joffe to continue on ahead before turning back to the admiral. "Yes?"

"I have something which belongs to you." Reaching down to his pant leg, Piett unbuttoned a cargo pocket and produced an all-to-familiar weapon.

"Where did you get that?" Leia gasped when Piett extended her father's lightsaber to her.

"Lord Vader asked me to keep it secure," Piett told her. "I brought it with me in case he wanted it back. I think you might be able to put it to better use, however."

Leia took the lightsaber with both hands and held it to her chest. "Thank you, Admiral," she said. "This means a great deal to me."

The corner of Piett's lips twitched. "I can tell," he said wryly.

Attaching the lightsaber to her belt, Leia gave Piett a salute which he immediately reciprocated. A moment passed and Leia lowered her hand. Spinning around, she hurried after Joffe.

* * *

Luke and Ahsoka walked side by side into the octagonal lobby of the detention center. Three Imperials were draped over their stations, dead. All around them, the clones and shock troopers took up positions at the mouths of the hallways.

"Blast the cameras," he heard Cara order.

"Too late, they already know we're here."

Fishing around in one of the Imperial's pockets, Luke produced a metal keycard. He then picked up the dead man by the back of his shirt and pushed him away. Looking up, he saw a contingent of stormtroopers running toward them from the opposite hallway.

"We'll hold them off," Rex yelled before opening fire. "Find which cell they're in and get out of here!"

Luke returned his attention to the control panel. "What am I looking for?" he asked Ahsoka.

"Sort by admission date," she told him, drawing her two white lightsabers. "They should have just arrived."

Luke swiped his keycard and scanned the chart which emerged on the screen in front of him. A blaster bolt went whizzing past him, but he paid it no heed as he sifted through the information. "Here!" he said. "Cell 4283 and 4285. There's four prisoners in each."

"That sounds like it," Ahsoka said. "Fourth floor. Let's go!"

But Luke didn't follow after her. The chart suddenly refreshed and a new entry appeared at the top of the list.

"Wait," he said. "Look at this."

"We don't have time!"

"Cell 2187." That sounded awfully familiar to him.

"Luke!"

"That's on this level! I have to check it out!"

"Why?"

Luke didn't have an answer. "I just do!" Drawing his lightsaber, Luke activated the red blade. Leaping over a guard's body, he took off running down one of the hallways at random. He heard Ahsoka yelling his name, but he ignored her. There was something else calling him down this hallway.

The sound of blaster fire faded as he pounded down the hall. His footsteps clanged loudly against the metal floor as he passed cell after cell. He didn't bother reading the numbers, however. He allowed instinct to guide him instead.

After nearly a full minute of running, Luke came to an abrupt halt. Spinning to his left, he found the cell he had been searching for. Deactivating his lightsaber, he returned it to his belt and replaced it with the keycard he had stolen. He waved the card in front of the sensor on the wall and the cell door opened. Luke wasted no time hurrying down the stairs and into the cell.

He found her curled up on the bench with her knees tucked into her chest. Her back was facing him, but when she heard the door open, she turned to see his silhouette in the doorway. She gave him a glassy-eyed smile.

"Rex," she said in a faint voice. "You're here to save me."

Luke frowned. Rex? He didn't look a thing like the old clone! "No, Mom," he said as he rushed forward. "It's me, Luke."

"Oh, yes," she hummed. "My son, Luke."

He nodded as he kneeled down by her side. "What happened? Why are you here? Did you and Leia get caught?"

Padmé's distant expression turned stormy. "Leia," she repeated.

"Where is she? Is she alright?"

Padmé looked beyond him. "Leia," she said again.

Confused, Luke turned around to see what she was looking at. His eyes widened when he saw her standing at the top of the stairs with an inactive lightsaber in hand.

"What are you doing here, Luke?"

He stood up and took a step toward her. "What's going on? Why is Mom in this cell?"

"She left me," he heard his mother say from behind him. "I begged her not to, but she did it anyway."

A fiery anger coursed through him at this discovery. Reaching to his belt, he unclipped his lightsaber.

"You imprisoned my mother?" he asked Leia, his voice low and ominous.

"She tried to kill my father," she shot back.

Luke activated his lightsaber and the dark cell was illuminated with a red hue. "Step aside," he demanded.

"Luke, you have to listen to me –"

"Step aside!"

Leia considered him for a few seconds before narrowing her eyes. "I can't let you take her," she said.

"Try and stop me."

The twins stared at each other for a tense couple of moments before Leia activated her own lightsaber. Luke's fury compounded further still when he saw the blue blade. That was his lightsaber!

Propelled into action, Luke thrust out his left hand and sent Leia flying into the hallway. "No!" he heard Padmé shriek. She leapt forward to try and grab him, but Luke pushed her away roughly. He stormed up the stairs and out of the cell where he found Leia struggling to her feet.

"Luke –" she tried to say, but he cut her off with a blow from his saber. She parried the strike and began retreating down the hallway.

Luke followed in pursuit. He slashed and swung his red blade with reckless abandon. Leia did her best to keep up, but she hadn't ever been properly trained on how to use the weapon. It was clear to both of them that she wouldn't be able to keep up.

"You're a traitor!" Luke bellowed as he swung down. Leia absorbed the blow and Luke pressed their blades together so that their faces were merely inches apart. "You sided with the Empire!"

"You don't understand!"

Luke roared as he pushed her away with a shove of his saber. She tumbled to the ground and slid away on her rear. Leaping into the air, Luke slashed down at her prone form only to miss when she rolled away. His blade went slashing through the floor and Leia jumped back to her feet.

He continued his offensive as Leia retreated farther and farther away. Slash marks covered the walls and embers sprayed in every which direction when their blades whizzed and whirred in the narrow hallway. The closer they got to the lobby from where Luke had come, the sounds of battle grew louder – blaster bolts, screaming soldiers, and the occasional explosion served as the backdrop for the two humming sabers. The cacophony allowed Luke to drown out his mother's pleas for them to stop.

"Luke! Leia! Stop!"

Leia staggered away when she barely managed to deflect a brutal overhead swing. Her eyes were wide with fear as Luke raised his saber over his head a second time. He swung again, but missed when Leia tripped and fell down a set of stairs. Looking up, he realized that they had made it back to the lobby. The blaster fire had ceased and Luke saw that the small Rebel task force had surrendered their weapons. Every hallway except his own was blocked off by scores of stormtroopers who were pointing their blasters at the defeated Rebels.

"Drop it, Luke," he heard Leia demand from the ground. She was lying on her back at the base of the stairs, her lightsaber having fallen out of her hand and rolled away out of sight. From his elevated vantage point, she looked especially tiny as he loomed over her.

"Never," he snarled.

Just then, Padmé emerged from behind him. She stopped when she saw that they had been surrounded. Looking down, she saw Leia sprawled out on the ground.

Propping herself up on her elbows, Leia met Padmé's gaze momentarily before returning her attention to him. "I'm not your enemy, Luke," she said. "You have to trust me."

"Trust you?" he asked, incredulous. "How can I trust you? You betrayed us!"

Before Leia could answer, Luke looked up when the three stormtroopers stationed in the hallway directly opposite him went soaring into the lobby where they crashed helmet-first into the control station. Startled, Luke jumped a half-step back when he saw a shadowy figure activating a blue blade.

"Another Jedi!" one of the stormtroopers exclaimed. "Blast him!"

The room exploded with blaster fire. The surrendered Rebels all dropped to the ground when the bolts ricocheted back toward them, deflected by the blue-saber-wielding Jedi.

"Get behind me!" Luke yelled to Padmé as he raised his own blade. She ignored him, however, and instead rushed forward into the fray.

"Leia!" she cried.

Padmé leapt down the stairs toward her defenseless daughter. As bolts went whizzing over her head, she jumped atop Leia. At first he thought she was trying to fight her, but then he realized he was mistaken. She was using her body to shield her! Luke was stunned. Why would she do that? Why would she risk her life to defend the person who had betrayed her?

Luke was unable to ponder this further, because his attention was redirected when the battle came to an abrupt end. A massive blast of energy of unknown origins had blown the stormtroopers away down their respective hallways. He and the rest of the Rebels were all somehow unscathed. Luke hesitantly lowered his lightsaber as he peered across the lobby toward the opposite hall. Had Ahsoka been the one to rescue them? Who else could have done that?

His question was answered when the mysterious Jedi stepped forward into the light. Luke gasped, scarcely able to recognize the man before him. His head was shaved and he was much shorter than how Luke remembered him. Nevertheless, his face was unmistakable and the captivating glint in his eyes even more so. Conspicuously absent was his suit and, even more astonishingly, his helmet.

Darth Vader had taken off his mask. Anakin Skywalker had returned.


	29. Saving Each Other

"Leia!"

Her eyes widened when she saw Padmé jumping down the stairs toward her. She held her hands up defensively before Padmé went crashing into her. The deafening sound of blaster fire overwhelmed her senses and Leia shut her eyes tight, pleading for the chaos to end. Nothing made sense to her anymore.

She was crying. How it started, Leia didn't know, but there was nothing she could do to stop it. She felt so lost and so afraid. And then she heard a voice in her ear.

"I've got you. It's okay. Everything's going to be fine."

Leia opened her eyes a fraction. It was her. The woman she had so desperately yearned to meet.

"Mother," she said, voice barely audible over the thunderous noise.

"I've got you," Padmé said again.

Leia's vision was blurred with tears. "I'm so sorry," she said hoarsely. "I never should have left you. I never should have –"

She stopped talking when the blaster fire suddenly stopped. Padmé pushed herself away from Leia and glanced around. Leia heard approaching footsteps, but she only had eyes for her mother.

"Forgive me," she pleaded.

Padmé looked down at her. Mother and daughter stared at one another for a long while before a familiar voice broke the silence.

"Captain Rex, are there any casualties to report?"

The clone took his time before answering. When he did, his voice was high-pitched and quavering. "I… I don't… n-no, sir. No casualties."

"Very good, Captain."

Padmé finally broke eye contact with Leia as she got to her feet. Her jaw slackened with disbelief when she stared at the man whom Leia knew to be behind her.

"Anakin?" she asked. "How –"

"Is our daughter alright?" he interrupted.

Padmé looked down at her again. "She's… she's safe," she said faintly. "I protected her." She then leaned down and offered Leia her hand. Leia stared at it for a long moment before reaching up to grab it. Padmé helped her to her feet and, once she was fully upright, pulled her tight into a hug.

"I'm sorry too," she whispered into her ear. Leia trembled as she pressed her face against her mother's neck. Tears continued to stream down her cheeks unimpeded.

"I left you," she whimpered. "How could I have left you?"

"It's alright," Padmé cooed. "You're with me now."

Padmé released her, but Leia wanted nothing more than to continue clinging on to her. She felt better about herself in her mother's embrace.

"Leia?"

Drying her eyes with her sleeve, Leia turned around slowly. She looked up and did a double take when she saw her father. When she had first heard his voice, she had assumed that he had been fitted with his new prosthetics and returned to the suit like he had said he wanted. That wasn't the case, however. Instead, the man before her bore no resemblance to the masked monster that was Darth Vader.

The first thing she noticed was that he was about a foot shorter than he used to be. Furthermore, the bulk which the suit had provided him was now gone. All that remained was a thin man bordering on fragile. The proud brown and tan robes which he was wearing hung to his frame loosely, giving the impression that they were several sizes too large.

"How did this happen?"

Leia spun her head to the left to see that Luke had descended the stairs and come to a stop by his mother's other flank. In his right hand, the red blade of Vader continued to hum ominously.

"She saved me."

Vader – or rather, Anakin – turned to his wife. He dropped his lightsaber to the ground and extended his hand to her. She stared at it, stunned. It looked as if it was made of flesh, yet Leia knew that couldn't be. The synthetic skin on his new limbs truly made it look as if Anakin was whole once more.

"I was a fool," he said. "I didn't know how just much I had hurt you until you pulled that trigger." He swallowed hard, palm facing upward as he kept his hand outstretched. "I understand everything now. I understand who I have to be. I understand who you need me to be." A long, poignant pause followed. Finally, he spoke. "Padmé. I'm sorry."

Padmé set her jaw as she looked up from Anakin's hand. "I know you are," she said flatly. Neither blinked as they gazed at one another, Anakin's eyes glistening while Padmé's were narrowed. After several long moments, Padmé suddenly reached out and took his hand. Anakin inhaled sharply, clearly surprised that she had willingly bridged the divide between them. "You really understand now?" she asked.

"I do," he said without hesitation.

"Then you understand that you are not forgiven."

Anakin nodded solemnly. "I do," he said again.

Padmé's steely façade faltered when her chin began to tremble. Hand still clasped with his, she took a step forward. "I thought you were gone forever," she said, so softly that Leia could hardly hear.

Anakin's lips twitched. "So did I."

Much to the surprise to everyone, Padmé suddenly pulled Anakin into an embrace just like she had done with Leia. Amazed, her mouth fell open and she shared an incredulous look with Luke. Her brother's expression was one of the utmost astonishment. Neither could believe that this was really happening.

The sound of a large procession approaching caused the twins to startle. With Anakin and Padmé preoccupied, Leia took the initiative and summoned the discarded lightsaber to her hand. She was about to activate the blade when she stopped. Emerging from one of the hallways was not more stormtroopers like she had feared, but an old friend.

Ahsoka stopped in her tracks when she saw Anakin and Padmé embracing in the center of the room. Shocked, she stared at the bizarre sight while the rest of the Rebel leadership appeared behind her.

"Commander Tano?" she heard Mothma ask. "Shouldn't we be going?"

Ahsoka blinked a few times in bewilderment. "Um… yes, of course," she said dazedly.

At her voice, Anakin reluctantly pulled away from his wife and turned toward his former Padawan. Amused by her look of awe, Anakin smiled wryly while brushing away an errant tear. "Ahsoka," he said. "It's good to see you."

"Anakin?" was all Ahsoka was able to say in reply.

"I'm sorry to break up this reunion, but we need to get out of here," came Cara Dune's authoritative voice.

Leia turned to the shock trooper commander and did her best to stow away her shock. "How did you get here?" she asked while clipping her lightsaber back to her belt. "Where's your ship?"

"No ship," Rex answered. "There's nowhere to hide it. We had to drop in."

"You dropped in? What was your plan for getting out?"

"There wasn't one," Cara said with an impish grin. "Act first, plan later."

"An admirable mindset," Anakin quipped. He turned away from Ahsoka and eyed the Rebels. "Fortunately, I can provide us with transportation."

"You can?" Cara asked. Skeptical, she arched an eyebrow. "Who even are you?"

"A friend," he answered vaguely. "My speeder is waiting out front, but there isn't enough room for all of us. I can leave now and have a shuttle ready to go in half an hour."

"What are we supposed to do in the meantime?" one of the clones asked.

"This place is going to be crawling with Imps in a few minutes," a shock trooper contributed.

"Indeed, it will," Anakin agreed. "But they won't find you."

"How do you figure that?" Cara asked.

"Because you'll be hidden."

"Hidden where?"

"In these cells."

Silence met this suggestion. Once again, Luke and Leia glanced at each other. Was Anakin saying what they thought he was saying?

"You want us to put ourselves back in prison?" Mothma asked and Anakin turned around again.

"Only for a little while," he said. "In different cells, of course. The Imperials will have no idea where you went."

"No way! This is insane!" a Rebel general protested.

"How can we trust you if we don't even know who you are?" another asked.

"It's alright, Admiral," Ahsoka said. "I can vouch for this man."

"As can I," Rex added.

"These cells are not designed to contain Force-wielders," Anakin explained. "Ahsoka will stay behind and can break you out at any moment if you decide to do so. I would advise against that, however. You have no way out without me."

The Rebel leadership all looked to their leader. For her part, Mothma seemed just as conflicted as her peers. She took a step forward so she was standing next to Ahsoka. She considered Anakin for several long moments before turning her attention to Padmé.

"Well?" she asked her former colleague. "Should I trust him?"

Padmé hesitated. She glanced back and forth between Mothma and Anakin while everyone waited for her verdict. Finally, she gave it.

"Yes. You can trust him."

* * *

The four Skywalkers were seated in a speeder – Anakin and Padmé in front and the twins in the back. Nobody said a word. Luke and Leia glanced back and forth between their two parents while Padmé continued to stare unabashedly at Anakin, no doubt still marveling at his miraculous transformation. For his part, Anakin pretended to be oblivious to the attention and was determinedly keeping his eyes on the air lanes ahead.

Not wanting to subject Padmé to any additional time in jail, he had insisted that she accompany him to get the shuttle. Since Luke still didn't trust Anakin, he had demanded that he come along, and since Leia didn't want to feel left out, she had gone as well. Besides, she had something she needed to discuss with her father.

"Admiral Piett came to see you in the hospital," she said finally. Anakin's eyes darted up to find hers in the driving mirror.

"What did he want?" he asked.

"He said that Moff Gideon's forces are going to be invading Imperial Center within the day. Apparently Mas Amedda contacted him and demanded that he surrender."

Rather than becoming angry like she expected, Anakin smirked. "How bold," he said with sardonic appreciation.

"Piett doesn't have the forces to repel the invasion, but there's someone else who does."

"I understand, Leia," Anakin said. "And yes, I will do it."

Leia blinked a few times in surprise. "You will?"

"Of course. We have no other choice, do we?"

"Can someone tell me what's going on?" Luke asked.

Anakin laughed. "It seems I'm joining forces with the Rebellion."

Bewildered, Luke turned to her. "What's he talking about?"

"I could have explained this to you earlier if you hadn't tried to kill me," Leia said with a frown.

Now it was Anakin's turn to be surprised. "He did what!?"

"I didn't try to kill you!" Luke insisted.

"Yes you did!"

"Could we talk about this another time, perhaps?" Padmé requested from the front seat. "Leia, tell us what you're planning?"

Leia gave Luke one last sour look before turning to her mother. "We have to convince the Rebels to send their fleet to Imperial Center," she explained. "Gideon would never expect it, so he'll be totally unprepared."

"But why would the Rebels do that?" Luke asked.

"They view Gideon as the greater threat," she told him. "They already agreed to cooperate, but Father wasn't willing to do it until now."

Luke frowned as he looked back to Anakin. "So what changed?" he asked. He alone had no idea what had happened in the medical center and he was no doubt extremely confused.

Anakin didn't respond for a long while. His grip on the steering wheel tightened as he looked off at the horizon. The sun was high in the sky and the surrounding buildings cast long shadows all around them. Their speeder was spared from the darkness, however. They soared high above the shroud and were illuminated in a proud amber glow. Finally, Anakin answered, but it wasn't to Luke whom he spoke.

"You're right, I was afraid," he said to Padmé. "All I remembered about my old self was the pain. I couldn't go back to that."

"You were in pain as Vader as well," Padmé pointed out.

"But it was bearable," Anakin said. He bowed his head before looking up at the mirror again. "And when I found Leia, it was more than that. For the first time, I wasn't suffering when I was with her."

Leia swallowed hard, emotion bubbling to the surface at this heartfelt disclosure. She met his eyes in the mirror, yet quickly had to look away to brush away tears. She wasn't going to cry again. That couldn't happen.

"That's why I didn't want to do it," Anakin continued. "I wanted to stay in the suit because it protected me. But then you pulled out that blaster and gave me a choice."

"What!?" Luke exclaimed.

Leia saw Anakin smile thinly in the reflection. "I dared you to do it because I didn't think you would. I didn't think you had the strength to kill me."

"Neither did I," Padmé said.

Anakin sighed. "On Mustafar, I tried to kill you because I was in so much pain. I hated myself so much and I committed an unforgivable act because of it. But even then, I wasn't able to do it. I wasn't able to kill you." He paused to exhale, his breath shaky as he unclenched his fists and stretched out his fingers. Closing his eyes, he resumed. "So when you pulled the trigger, I understood that you were in more pain than I had ever been and that I was responsible for that pain. When I woke up and realized what you had tried to do, I stopped feeling sorry for myself and did what had to be done. I became who you needed me to be, Padmé. I became who our children needed me to be. Who the galaxy needed me to be."

Nobody spoke after that. While Anakin drove onward, the three of them all stared at him with a mixture of awe, appreciation, and sympathy. For Luke and Leia, they saw for the first time their true father. For Padmé, perhaps now she could see him as her husband once more. Forgiven or not, this man was undeniably Anakin Skywalker.

And the three of them loved him for that.

* * *

A half hour later, the three of them were waiting in an Imperial shuttle as they waited for Anakin to return with the Rebels. Padmé had protested when Anakin told them he would be going in alone, but she quickly folded when he raised the alternative.

" _I'm not saying it's not going to be dangerous, Padmé, I'm just saying that the twins shouldn't be subject to that danger_ ," he had said. " _You stay here with them and I'll be right back._ "

The three sat in silence while they waited. To keep her burgeoning sense of dread at bay, Leia unclipped her lightsaber from her belt and inspected it. As she turned it over in her hands, she heard Luke finally break the silence.

"I'm sorry," he said. Leia looked up to see his eyes on her. He alone was standing, arms crossed in front of his chest and foot tapping against the floor. "I shouldn't have attacked you."

Leia shook her head. "You were right to be angry. What I did was terrible."

Seated in a bucket seat against the opposite wall, Padmé spoke up. "I think we're all sorry," she said. The twins both nodded and looked down with shame. "What we need to do is move past this together. We need to trust each other, forgive each other, and most of all, love each other. Do you think we can do that?"

Luke and Leia looked at each other before turning to their mother in unison. "We can," Luke said and Leia nodded in agreement.

Padmé smiled weakly. "Good."

They fell into silence as each brooded in their own thoughts. There was something Anakin had said in the speeder which continued to nag her. Luke and Padmé had accepted it so easily, but Leia hadn't understood why.

"What did he mean when he said he tried to kill you?" she asked.

Padmé sighed. It seemed as if she had been dreading this question. Much to her surprise, Luke interjected on her behalf. "I'll tell you later," he said. "Mom doesn't like talking about it."

"That's alright, Luke," Padmé said. "I should be the one to tell her."

"You don't need to," Leia said. "I think I know anyway."

"Do you?"

"You never lied to Ahsoka, did you?"

Padmé considered this question with a furrowed brow. "Not about this," she said eventually.

"So he really did strangle you?" Padmé didn't respond, but she knew the answer anyway. "Why?"

Padmé rubbed her forehead before answering. "You heard him," she said. "He was in terrible pain."

"But why would he hurt you?" Luke asked.

"He thought I betrayed him," Padmé answered. "He figured I had teamed up with Obi-Wan to kill him, but in reality I had no idea Obi-Wan had stowed away on my ship. I tried to tell him the truth, but he refused to listen."

"He should have," Leia said.

Padmé looked up in surprise. "I agree," she said. "But the past is the past."

With these words, Leia realized that the fracture in their family had been mended. While Padmé would never be able to forgive Vader, she was willing to move on. If she could do it, then so could they. No longer would she consider her mother as Fett and no longer would Luke think of his father as Vader. No more antagonism, no more manipulation, no more division. From now on, they would be a family.

The sound of blaster fire startled Leia back to her senses. She jumped up out of her seat and reached for her lightsaber. "Come on!" she said to Luke. "Let's go!"

Padmé got to her feet as well and grabbed Luke by the arm. "No," she said. "You are staying right here. Anakin and Ahsoka can handle this without you."

"But –"

"Just go to the cockpit and get ready to take off," she ordered Luke. "Leia, you open the hatch."

The twins hesitated for a moment before complying with the orders. Leia hurried toward the back of the shuttle while Luke took off in the opposite direction. She pressed a button on the wall and a ramp began to unfurl. Once it touched down on the ground, she held a hand up to her eyes and squinted. The Rebel delegation was rushing toward the shuttle while the clones and shock troopers fended off two dozen or so stormtroopers on the docks.

"Get to the shuttle!" she heard Captain Rex yell. The soldiers obeyed the order, spinning around and taking off after the delegation. "General Skywalker! Commander Tano!" Rex called out. "Let's go!"

Ahsoka and Anakin were side by side serving as the front line of defense for the fleeing Rebels. Three lightsabers – two white and one blue – twirled about like batons as they deflected scores upon scores of blaster bolts. Hearing Rex's voice, they turned around in unison and bolted toward the shuttle.

Leia stood at the top of the ramp beckoning the Rebels onto the ship. Mothma and the generals made it on first. They were quickly followed by the soldiers.

"Luke, get us out of here!" Padmé said from behind her.

The shuttle took off before Anakin and Ahsoka had boarded. Leia's felt a jolt of panic, but her fears were quickly allayed when the two Jedi jumped onto the shuttle with apparent ease. Once they were securely in the cabin, Leia mashed the button and sealed the hatch.

"You seem out of breath. What happened? Did you get out of shape in your old age?"

Leia turned around to see Ahsoka smirking at her former master. Pressing his hand against the wall, Anakin leaned forward and gasped for air.

"Very funny," he wheezed.

Ahsoka's expression faltered when she saw his grimace. Concerned, Leia hurried forward and placed a hand on her father's back. "Are you okay?" she asked him.

Anakin pushed himself away from the wall and stood upright. "I'm okay," he said. He flexed his arms and winced. "Still getting used to these, that's all."

"They're not hurting you, are they?"

"No, no pain," he assured her. "I've just got to break them in, that's all."

"You could probably put some weight on too, I'd reckon." Leia looked up to see Rex walking toward them. He stopped next to Ahsoka and eyed Anakin over. "Seems like you lost a good thirty pounds. And it's not like you had much to spare to begin with."

"Unlike you," Ahsoka quipped.

"Hey!"

Ahsoka and Rex laughed but Anakin didn't react. He seemed to be uncomfortable with the camaraderie.

"So would someone care to explain what just happened?" Ahsoka asked after an awkward silence. "It's great to have you back, Skyguy, but I'm not quite sure how it's possible."

Leia frowned at their lack of consideration. Couldn't they see he didn't want to talk about it? Perhaps they didn't understand him as well as she did. Perhaps they saw him as someone else entirely.

"Maybe we could talk about this later," she suggested. She tried her best to be diplomatic, but a hint of irritation inevitably seeped into her voice. "We have more important things to deal with now."

Ahsoka nodded. "Of course," she said readily. "You're right, Princess."

Anakin was willing to smile at that. "She usually is," he said. Appreciating the compliment, Leia beamed at him. "Come on," Anakin said with a gesture of his head. "We need to talk with your Rebel friends."

"Right," Leia said.

"Hold on for a second," Ahsoka said when they turned to walk away. "Before you do that, do you mind if I have a word with Leia?"

Anakin glanced at her and she gave him a reassuring nod. "Very well," he said. "Don't be long." He then walked off toward the Rebels who had congregated in the far end of the cabin. She smiled when she saw her mother speaking with Mothma, Ackbar, and a few other Rebel leaders.

"Rex, give us a minute, would you?"

"Sure thing, Commander."

Leia turned back to Ahsoka. Once Rex had left them, her former teacher spoke in a hushed tone.

"It seems you took my advice to heart," she said, her eyes twinkling. "I'm glad."

"I tried to hate him, but it wasn't so easy," Leia said. "He was just so… human."

Ahsoka shook her head in amazement as she looked off at Anakin who was standing next to his wife. "I don't believe it," she said. "Last time I saw him…" She trailed off as a distant expression passed her eyes. "Safe to say, I never thought this was possible," she said finally.

"He isn't the same person you knew in the Clone Wars," Leia said urgently. "He's recovering, but he can't just flip a switch. It's going to take time."

Ahsoka bowed her head. "I'll back off. I can see he's not comfortable around me."

"Thank you for understanding," Leia said.

Ahsoka smiled. "He has you though, doesn't he? It's amazing. When did I see you last? Two weeks ago? You wanted him dead then and now you two are like best friends."

"I guess," Leia said meekly.

"It seems like I was right," Ahsoka said. "You were the one to save him after all."

At once, Leia rejected the praise. "It wasn't me, it was her. She deserves all the credit."

Ahsoka's smile faded. "I doubted her."

"So did I," Leia admitted. "So did everyone."

A beat passed as both of them looked back toward Anakin and Padmé. From a distance, they looked so happy by each other's side. They completed each other, in a way.

"They saved each other," Leia said after a moment of contemplation.

"And maybe just yet they'll save us all," Ahsoka added.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So what do you think? Is the pro Vader/Leia camp upset by this development? Conflicted? Happy? Let me know!


	30. New Colors

Luke was alone in the cockpit. The shuttle was drifting aimlessly away from Imperial Center, but he didn't jump into hyperspace just yet. He didn't know where he was going quite yet.

He heard a great deal of commotion in the cabin behind him, but Luke hesitated to join. This moment alone was something he needed right now. The events of the past few hours ricocheted about his mind as he sought to collect his thoughts. He didn't know whether to feel relieved or upset by what had just transpired. On the one hand, it was wonderful that Vader – or Anakin, that is – had elected to side with the Rebellion, but Luke wasn't sure whether that was something worth celebrating. Was absolution really so simple as taking off a mask?

Realizing that brooding on this matter would do him no good, Luke got to his feet and left the cockpit. He recalled the last time he had done this. Everything had been so different then. He had only just learned that Vader was his father and had no idea that the bounty hunter they had captured was in fact his mother. Perhaps it had been simpler not to know.

When he arrived in the cabin, Luke found everyone congregated around Senator Mothma. Standing side by side to the senator's left were his parents. With his presence unannounced, Luke watched them from the hallway. He had never seen them look this way in each other's company. For Padmé, there was no tension or barely-suppressed anger. On the flip side, Anakin no longer had the perpetually apologetic or remorseful expression on his face. They both looked entirely comfortable with themselves and with each other.

"Senator, if I may."

Luke looked away from his parents to see Leia had pushed her way to the front of the crowd. On her left was her father, and on her right, Ahsoka.

"Yes, Princess?" Mothma said, a hint of wariness in her voice. If Luke didn't know any better, it seemed as if the senator was scared of Leia.

"Two days ago, you presented my father with a choice. He rejected it then, but he has decided to accept it now. He will lead your armed forces if you are willing to commit them to him."

"Is this true, General Skywalker?" Mothma asked Anakin.

"It is," he said.

"And you remain committed to our prior arrangement?"

"I do."

Mothma inclined her chin as she considered Anakin. Suddenly, she turned around and looked directly at him. "What say you, Commander Skywalker?"

Luke was startled when everyone's eyes darted to him. He gulped, his pulse quickening at the sudden attention. "Me?" he asked in a high-pitched voice.

A glimmer of humor sparkled in Mothma's eyes. "I don't think it's much of a mystery to us that this man is your father," she said. Luke stared at her blankly and Mothma was forced to elucidate. "Skywalker is not a very common name, is it not?"

"Oh," Luke said. He had forgotten that Mothma knew Vader's true name.

"So I want to hear what you have to say. Do you agree with the rest of your family?"

Luke swallowed hard as he looked at Anakin. His face was completely expressionless as he awaited Luke's answer. He glanced to the left at Leia and then to the right at his mother. She gave him a small smile and nodded.

"I do," he said faintly.

"Sorry?"

Luke looked away from his mother. "I do," he told Mothma in a louder voice. "He can be trusted."

Mothma nodded. "Very well then." Spinning around, she clapped her hands together. "It's time we got to work," she said. "How soon did you say Gideon's forces will be in the system?"

"Within the day at most," Leia answered.

"Then we're short for time," Mothma said grimly.

"How long will it take to muster your forces?" Anakin asked.

"A day would be optimistic," a general contributed.

"It can be done," Ackbar insisted.

As the generals discussed logistics, Luke began walking around the ring toward his family.

"But how will we know which forces are friendly?"

"I'm afraid I don't understand, Admiral."

"Lord… I mean General Skywalker is commanding Imperial forces, is he not? How will we be able to tell them apart from Gideon's forces?"

Luke pushed past a couple of shock troopers and came to a stop by his mother's side. She looked up at him and patted him on the shoulder.

"The admiral is right," he heard Anakin say. "Our forces will be indistinguishable."

"I may know someone who could help with that," Mothma said.

"What does that mean?"

"I'll explain later. First, I need to contact headquarters and inform them of our plans. Generals, if you would follow me to the cockpit." She turned around, and the half dozen Rebel leaders followed after her out of the cabin. When they were gone, the formation of soldiers dispersed and began talking amongst themselves.

"You should take this back."

Luke turned to see Anakin offering a lightsaber to Ahsoka.

"You need it more than I," she said.

"But –"

"Anakin. Keep it."

"You can use mine," Leia piped up.

"No," Anakin refused instantly. "I don't want… Ahsoka's will serve me fine."

"Are you sure?" Leia asked.

Anakin clipped the lightsaber to his belt. "I am," he said definitively.

Padmé stepped forward and placed a hand on his arm. "How are these treating you?" she asked. "You didn't give it much time."

"The doctor wanted me to stay, but I thought otherwise." Anakin smiled playfully as he looked down at her. "I'm doing fine, really," he said when he sensed her skepticism. "There's no pain. Just a bit stiff, that's all."

"May I see?"

Anakin rolled up his sleeve to reveal his synthetic skin underneath. "Wow," Padmé said as she ran a hand up his forearm. "They even gave you some hair."

"It's impressive, isn't it?"

Luke shared a glance with Leia and the twins stepped away from their parents. They didn't seem to notice, thoroughly engrossed by each other's company.

"I got to say, I didn't see this coming," Luke said quietly.

"Me neither," Leia said. They stopped a few feet away and glanced back at them. "I know you're ambivalent, but this is a good thing."

Luke pursed his lips as he considered this. "She says she doesn't forgive him," he said.

"So?"

"I think she's lying."

Leia snorted. "The truth isn't something she's ever been comfortable with."

Luke frowned but he chose not to contradict her. "So what now?" he asked.

"We defeat Gideon."

"Yeah, but after that."

Leia didn't answer right away. "I don't know," she said eventually. "Let's just focus on the matter at hand."

"You believe him?" Luke asked. "Vader's going to help restore the Republic?"

"Do you doubt him?"

Luke hesitated as he contemplated the smile on his father's face. He and Padmé were laughing about something. She punched at his chest good-naturedly, but Anakin grabbed it. Raising her hand to his mouth, he gave it a kiss.

"Wow," he said.

"Yeah," Leia agreed.

He shook his head and watched as his mother blushed. "You know, I never really believed that they ever loved each other."

"Me neither," Leia said.

"I guess we were wrong."

"I guess so."

* * *

An hour later, the four Skywalkers were walking down the bridge of the _Executor_ with Admiral Piett leading the way. Having rendezvoused with the small Imperial fleet, Anakin insisted that the three of them accompany him. The Rebels had departed for their base in the shuttle with the assurance that their fleet would be coming to reinforce them soon.

"Recent intel suggests that Moff Gideon's forces will be arriving within the next few hours," Piett informed them. He glanced back at Anakin with a furrowed brow. The admiral had been quite surprised to see his superior rehabilitated like he had. It had taken Leia's testimony to get him to believe that this man was Vader at all. Piett somehow seemed to know that Leia was Vader's daughter, but he evidently knew nothing about him and Padmé. Although he was obviously curious, he had been wise enough not to inquire about them.

"We'll likely be on our own for at least part of the battle," Anakin said as he inspected the state of affairs on the bridge. "How long do you think we'll be able to hold out, Admiral?"

"Not long," Piett said, stark in his delivery. "In addition to this ship, we have three Star Destroyers and two squadrons of cruisers at our disposal."

"How many fighters does that make?"

"Three hundred, give or take. Gideon will likely have thousands of TIEs and dozens of capital ships."

"I've gone up against worse odds," Anakin said.

"All due respect, sir, but I find that hard to believe."

Anakin laughed as the group came to a stop in front of the massive viewing port at the head of the bridge. Nothing but the vast expanse of space presented itself to them, but soon the system would be flooded with ships. The deluge would indubitably result in mass carnage. This final battle for the fate of the galaxy would be epic in proportion.

"Our numerical inferiority will be offset by the element of surprise," Anakin claimed. "Besides, we have the two best star pilots in the galaxy on our side."

Piett frowned. "Who is the other?"

Anakin turned to Luke and smiled. "My son."

Luke blinked once. "What, me?"

"Yes, you."

"But –"

"I kept a close eye on you after Yavin," Anakin said. "My sources tell me you're quite the pilot."

Luke wasn't sure what to say to this. Was it flattering or concerning that Anakin had so casually admitted to spying on him?

"Luke's just being modest," Leia said on his behalf. "He's a great pilot."

"I'm not being modest," he insisted. "I don't think I'm the best, that's all."

Luke felt a hand on his shoulder and he looked to his left. "Luke," his mother said. "Just accept the compliment."

"…Okay."

"So there you have it, Admiral Piett," Anakin said cheerily. "We're more than a match for whatever Gideon throws our way."

Piett looked doubtful, but he didn't get a chance to raise his concerns because just then an officer from one of the stations below the bridge called for his attention.

"Admiral Piett, sir. A transmission."

Piett marched away toward the station. "From whom?" he asked.

"I… I'm not sure, sir," the officer said. "They say their name is… Spectre 5?"

"Did you just say Spectre?" Leia asked.

Piett turned around to look at her. "Do you know who this is?"

"This is what Mothma meant," Leia said to Anakin. "Redirect the transmission to the bridge."

The officer complied with the order despite having no idea who Leia was. She had an air of authority about her that inspired subordination.

" _This is Spectre 5. Is there anyone there?_ "

"We hear you, Spectre 5," Anakin said. "Were you sent by the Rebellion?"

" _Affirmative, sir. Senator Mothma told me that you required my services._ "

Anakin glanced at Leia who nodded. "You have permission to board," he said. "I will be with you shortly." The feed cut out and Anakin nodded to himself. "These Rebels are quite expedient," he said appreciatively. Clapping his hands together, he spun around. "Come with me, Luke."

Anakin didn't give him a chance to inquire why as he marched away down the bridge. He caught Leia's eye, and she gestured with her head for him to follow. Obliging, Luke hurried after Anakin.

"Have you ever flown a TIE before?" Anakin asked when he caught up.

"Um… no."

"Don't worry, they're quite easy to get a hang of."

Luke didn't reply as they left the bridge and began walking down a wide corridor. Neither spoke a word for a long while, the echoes of their footsteps providing the only interruption to the silence. Luke glanced up at Anakin and gulped.

"You doubt me," Anakin observed without looking at him.

"Sorry?"

"There's no need to deny it. I can sense your unease."

Luke looked down toward the floor. "If Mom trusts you, then so do I."

Anakin chuckled. "You're very loyal, Luke, but there's no need to pretend as if you don't have misgivings."

"You're right," Luke elected to say. "I don't trust you."

They came to a stop when they reached the end of the corridor and arrived at an elevator. Anakin pressed the button and turned to look at him.

"Your doubt helps me," he said. "It reminds me that I have not yet made amends."

Luke frowned. "Are you saying you want me to doubt you?"

Anakin reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder. Surprised, Luke turned to look at it. "I want you to be yourself. I want you to tell me what you think. Because I listen, Luke. You may not think I do, but I appreciate your advice."

"You do?"

The elevator doors opened with a whoosh and Anakin looked away. Squeezing his shoulder, Anakin retracted his hand and stepped onto the lift. Luke followed after him, and the doors closed behind them.

"You told me that I had to build something new," Anakin said now that they were in private. "That's exactly what I plan to do, starting with myself. I'm a new man today, and I don't just mean physically. I don't want you to think of me as Darth Vader ever again."

There was a silence as the elevator began to descend. Luke allowed these impassioned words to sink in for a moment before reaching to his belt. "What about this?" he asked, showing the lightsaber to his father. "Are you going to keep it?"

Anakin stared at the blade. "I've done terrible things with that weapon," he mused.

"So have I," Luke said.

Anakin looked up to meet his eyes. "You hold on to it."

"Are you sure?"

"You need a weapon. Once this is over, I will teach you to make your own."

The elevator came to a stop and the door swung open. Anakin stepped out, but Luke stayed behind for a moment. He flexed his fingers and balanced the lightsaber in the palm of his hand. He could drop it to the floor and leave it behind should he feel so inclined. But he didn't. He would keep this blade, and not purely for utilitarian purposes. It would serve as a reminder for what the both of them were capable of.

Luke clipped the lightsaber back to his belt and walked out onto an enormous hangar. He craned his head and gaped in awe as he followed after Anakin. Never before had Luke seen so many ships in the same place. Dozens upon dozens of TIEs stretched to the ceiling on giant cantilevers made of jet black durasteel.

"Luke! Let's go!"

Shaking himself from his reverie, Luke hurried after Anakin who was waiting for him by the south end of the hangar bay near the massive rectangular entrance. A small shuttle had just touched down and a ramp was beginning to unfurl.

"Spectre 5, I presume?"

Luke came to a stop next to Anakin and looked up to see a slender woman with short, purple hair standing at the top of the ramp. Tucked under her left arm was a helmet.

"That's me," she said. As she began to descend, Luke noticed she was wearing Mandalorian armor much like his mother's. Unlike Fett's, however, this woman's armor had patterns and images painted over it in vibrant colors. The pink, yellow, and blue breastplate looked nothing like the weathered brown one he was familiar with.

"Care to give us your real name?" Anakin asked when she reached the hangar floor.

"Sabine Wren," she said, extending her hand. Anakin took it and gave an abbreviated shake.

"You're a Mandalorian?" Luke asked.

Sabine narrowed her eyes, the epicanthic folds making them look like slits. "I am," she said.

"That's cool," Luke said, undeterred by the laconic response.

"Save the pleasantries, Luke," Anakin told him. "We have a lot of work to do."

"That we do," Sabine agreed. "Senator Mothma informed me of the situation."

"So what is your solution?"

Sabine looked around the hangar before answering. Wrinkling her nose, she looked back at Anakin. "You Imperials have no taste," she said.

"Excuse me?"

"Here's what we're going to do," Sabine said. "I've loaded up the _Phantom_ with spray paint. Every single one of these uninspired TIEs are going to get a redesign. That way, we'll be able to tell who's who in the battle."

"You're going to paint the TIEs?" Luke asked.

"Does that upset you?"

"What? No," Luke said, surprised by her astringency. "What color?"

"Anything but black," she said. "I've got red, yellow, green, and a whole lot of pink."

"Pink?" Luke repeated.

"Yes, pink," she snapped.

Luke was beginning to get the impression she didn't like him. "You're going to need some help," he said. "That could take hours."

"Then get me some help," she barked. "You Imperials have a whole bunch of stormtroopers, don't you? Send them here and we'll swap out their blasters for spray cans." Luke smiled at the image, but Sabine didn't find any humor in it. "Are you going to laugh at me, or are you going to get me the help I need?"

"I'll send for a company," Anakin said.

"Good," Sabine said before spinning around and marching back up the ramp.

"Wait!" Luke called after her. "I can help too."

"You don't need to do that," Anakin told him.

"No, it's fine. I want to help."

Anakin frowned and looked up at Sabine. "Is that alright with you?" he asked.

"Sure, whatever," she said before walking up the rest of the way toward the shuttle

Anakin gave him a look. "Be careful with that one," he warned. With that, he spun around and marched away, robes swishing against the ground as he left. Luke watched him go for a few seconds before heading up the ramp after the irascible Sabine.

"Woah," he said when he arrived in the compact cabin. "That's a lot of paint." Crates were stacked to the ceiling along both walls. Along the sides, the crates had a vertical stripe which designated which color it contained. Sabine had been true to her word: the vast majority of the paint was pink.

"Stop gawking and help me."

Turning away from the piles of crates, Luke saw Sabine giving him a dirty look. "Sure," he said. Stepping forward, Luke reached up to pick up a crate from the top of the pile before stopping himself. "Care to tell me why you hate me so much?" he asked.

"I don't hate you," Sabine said at once.

"You sure fooled me."

Sabine gnashed her teeth and looked away. "You're the enemy," she said.

"I am? Why?"

"You're Imperial! I've spent years of my life fighting against you and you've killed countless friends of mine. And now we're allies all of a sudden? I don't think so. It's bullshit, that's what this is."

Luke blinked a few times as he processed this invective. "I don't really get it either," he said, prompting Sabine to scoff. "But I think… I think people can change."

Sabine gave him an incredulous look. "What is that supposed to mean?"

Luke considered his own wisdom for a moment before smiling. "Just so you know, I'm not actually Imperial," he told her.

"You're not?"

"Luke Skywalker," he said, offering her his hand.

Sabine's eyes turned wide. "You're Luke Skywalker?" she asked.

"Last I checked," he quipped.

"But you're…"

"What?"

"You're just not what I expected, that's all."

Luke was unsure whether to interpret this as a slight or as a compliment, so he chose the latter. "Let's get these crates unloaded, shall we?" he proposed.

"Right," Sabine said. She took her helmet and placed it over her head. Picking up a crate, she walked past him toward the ramp.

Luke remained behind in the cabin. He knew he ought to be helping, but a moment of contemplation made him pause. Running a finger along one of the crates, he stopped when he came across the red stripe. He stared at the color for a long while. Suddenly, Luke reached to his belt and pulled out the lightsaber. Holding out the hilt, he oriented it so the painted red stripe took the place of the blade.

That's all it was: a color. Shifting two steps to the left, he chuckled to himself when the blade turned pink.

"That would be something," he muttered.

Smiling, he returned the lightsaber to his belt and picked up the crate of pink paint. Had anything really changed? Luke didn't know for sure, but maybe a change of color could make all the difference.

* * *

Leia wringed her wrists as she watched her mother stare out the massive viewport of the _Executor's_ bridge. Her eyes – so much like her own – scanned back and forth at the empty canvas before them. Finally, she turned to look at her with a wan smile.

"Leia," she said.

Leia blinked twice. "What?"

"I don't have to be Force-sensitive to tell something's wrong."

Leia glanced around the bridge before answering. Admiral Piett had permitted them to be there so they could observe the battle when it began. Grey-uniformed officers assiduously went about their tasks, too absorbed in their work to spare them a second glance.

"I know you said we should move on, but…"

"But what?"

Leia bowed her head and wrapped her arms around herself. "After the explosion… I turned into someone else entirely," she said, voice barely a whisper. "I was just so angry, so… scared."

Padmé took a step toward her. "You had every right –"

"No I didn't," Leia interrupted before she could say it. "I had no right to blame Mothma. To attack her. I had no right to blame you and Luke."

"Leia –"

She wouldn't be stopped, however. Eyes shining, she continued her invective against herself. "I threw you in jail! My own mother! I knew what that would do to you! It was torture! And you say you forgive me?"

"I do."

"How?"

Padmé grabbed her by the shoulders. "I know a thing or two about being someone you aren't," she said. Leia closed her eyes and allowed her mother's mellifluous voice to soothe her. "I used to think there was no going back. That my old self was gone forever. You showed me that I was wrong."

An errant tear escaped when Leia opened her eyes to meet her mother's gaze. "I did?"

She nodded. Reaching up, she brushed the tear away from Leia's cheek and smiled. "You challenged me to be better. You challenged me to be the woman I once was. I'm grateful for that, Leia."

"But I hurt you."

"And I hurt you. I tried to tear your father away from you."

"But –"

"What's done is done. The past may be painful, but it brought us to this point. And there's no other place where I'd rather be than by my family's side."

Leia sniffled, struggling to maintain her composure. The last vestiges of Fett were gone. The woman before her was the one she needed. The one she loved.

"Mother," was all she could say.

Padmé's effulgent smile caused her heart to flutter. "Leia," she said in return.

Pulling her into an embrace, mother and daughter relished their bond – in each other, both finally having what they had long desired. It was all too much for Leia. The gush of affection she felt radiating from her mother finally pushed her over the edge, and a torrent of tears streamed forth from her eyes.

"Shh," Padmé cooed. "It's okay."

Leia shook her head against her mother's collarbone. "I don't know what's wrong with me," she managed to say through tears.

She felt her mother laugh. "There's nothing wrong with crying."

Leia pulled away and made a half-hearted attempt to dry her eyes with her sleeve. Just then, she saw Padmé turn toward the sound of approaching footsteps.

"What's wrong?"

It was her father's voice. It seemed he had returned from the hangar.

"Nothing," Padmé said.

Leia turned around, and at once Anakin saw that she had been crying. He pursed his lips, but elected not to make a comment. Perhaps he knew that this was something that ought to remain between mother and daughter.

"Luke's helping paint the TIEs."

"Paint?" Padmé repeated.

"Spray paint, to be precise. That way the Rebels will be able to tell us apart from Gideon's forces."

"What color?"

Anakin chuckled. "Pink, for the most part."

Even in her lachrymose state, Leia managed to smile at the image.

"Lord Vader, sir?"

Anakin swiveled his head to see Admiral Piett flagging him down. "Got to go," he said, returning his attention to them. "Lots to do."

"Of course," Padmé said.

Anakin spared one last concerned look toward Leia before spinning to depart. She and Padmé watched him go with identical expressions of apprehension.

"Do you think we'll win?" Leia asked.

"Your guess is as good as mine," Padmé responded.

For about an hour, the two woman waited on the bridge amidst a flurry of activity. To pass the time, Padmé insisted upon braiding Leia's hair. She felt a bit ridiculous to be engaging in this frivolity on the eve of such a critical battle, but she felt obliged to indulge her mother. Deft hands pulled her hair into long plaits which converged in an intricate bun above the nape of her neck.

"How'd you learn to do this?" Leia asked.

"My handmaidens used to do it for me when I was queen, but I made them teach me." She took a step away and walked around to Leia's front to assess her work. "I could never get quite as good as them," she said with a frown.

"Are you kidding? You're incredible!"

Padmé waved off the compliment. "It's passable," she said humbly.

"Mom! Leia!"

They both turned to see Luke rushing toward them, a broad grin across his face. He was dressed in a black Imperial flight suit and was carrying a fighter helmet under his arm. Leia felt a sudden quiver of anxiety at the sight.

"It's all done," he said when he reached them.

"What is?" Leia asked.

"Every ship in the hangar got a new coat job."

"Your father told us," Padmé said, and both Luke and Leia reacted – the former with a blink of surprise and the latter with a small smile.

"Uh… yeah. Sabine gave us all instructions and then she went to paint the rest of the fleet. We should be good to go."

"You're going to fight?" Leia asked, unable to keep the apprehension out of her voice. She hated it whenever Luke jumped into a cockpit.

"I'll be fine," Luke insisted.

Just then, a klaxon erupted on the bridge and Leia had to hold her hands to her ears. A bright strobe light pulsated, and their surroundings were illuminated a garish red.

"They're here!" she heard a voice call out.

Turning to the window, Leia saw a smattering of ships arriving in the system. At first, it didn't seem like many, but they kept coming. Soon, their entire field of view was dotted with Star Destroyers, cruisers, and lesser corvettes. Leia had never seen a fleet this large.

"To your stations!" Anakin ordered, his sonorous voice full of authority. Despite not knowing who he was, the officers on the bridge all complied without question. Satisfied, he began walking toward them.

"Time to go?" Luke asked.

"Almost," Anakin replied.

Leia swallowed hard, the profundity of the situation sinking in. Before Luke could stuff on his flight helmet, she rushed forward and wrapped her arms around him. A startled Luke let the helmet drop to the floor.

"Be safe," she pleaded in his ear.

She felt Luke pat her on the back. "Don't worry," he said. "The Force is with us."

Feeling her parents' eyes on them, Leia quickly pulled away. Once again, she noted wetness in her eyes and hastily dabbed at it with the back of her hand.

"Luke."

Before her brother could pick up his helmet, their mother embraced him as well. Leia gave him a watery smile when she saw his reddened face. He could pretend to be embarrassed, but she knew he wasn't really. Padmé whispered a few words into his ear before stepping back. She set her jaw and looked up at Anakin.

"Don't let anything happen to him," she demanded.

Anakin nodded solemnly. "I won't."

Husband and wife stared at each other for a long moment while the twins watched with bated breath. Were they going to do anything? A hug wouldn't be unwarranted, would it? Or at least a wish of well luck? Yet neither made a move. Finally, Anakin turned, a hint of dejection in his step.

"Anakin, wait."

Padmé bridged the gap between them with two long strides. Before Anakin could react, she rose up on her toes and planted a kiss on his lips. Luke and Leia both gasped, eyes bulging out of their sockets at the inconceivable image before them.

Padmé pulled away quickly and Anakin seemed to be just as stunned as his children. He stared at her with mouth agape whereas she returned his gaze with steely resolve.

"Come back in one piece," she said.

Anakin's stunned expression turned somber. He bowed his head before nodding once more. Sparing one last look for his wife, he spun around and departed without another word.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thoughts on the kiss? Was it too much? Just right? I deliberated for a long time before deciding to include it. What can I say? I'm a dedicated Anidala shipper at heart. 
> 
> The ending of this story is rapidly approaching! Just two more chapters left. I may choose to write an epilogue later, but we'll see. If you care to read more of my work, I highly encourage you to check out my newest story: [Protégé](https://archiveofourown.org/works/25211518/chapters/61107985#main). It's an AU about Padmé (whom I obviously love) as a secret and deeply conflicted Sith set during the end of the Clone Wars.


	31. The Second Battle of Coruscant

Luke couldn't stop grinning. He dropped into the cockpit of his fighter and looked around with glee.

"This is quite the ship," he said over the com.

" _It's a TIE Defender,_ " came his father's voice. " _It's one of a kind, so be careful with it._ "

Luke flicked a few toggles and felt the soft thrum of the engine burst to life. Whereas the X-wings he was familiar with rattled and groaned under the weight of their unwieldy propulsion, this fighter practically purred.

" _You're equipped with shields and heavy weapons, but don't get complacent. A direct shot can still knock you out of the sky._ "

"Whatever happened to me being the best star pilot in the galaxy?"

" _Second best,_ " Anakin corrected quickly. " _And I promised your mother I would bring you back alive. I don't intend on letting her down._ "

Luke sobered at this reminder. Flexing his gloved fingers, Luke grasped the throttle and scanned over the control panel. As he flicked at the altimeter, the com crackled back to life and Anakin's tinny voice returned.

" _Sigma Squadron, you will follow me. Our task is to identify the enemy's command ship. Once we have done that, Sigma 12 and myself will take out the shields to the hangar and infiltrate the vessel. Commander Versio will assume leadership over the squadron once we are on board. Is this clear?_ "

There was a resounding chorus of 'yes sir's'.

" _Good. Call sign check._ "

The Imperial pilots began identifying themselves over the com. Luke was the last to check in: "Sigma 12, standing by."

" _That's all of us. Time for takeoff._ "

Bright blue engines roared to life and Sigma Squadron took off from the hangar floor in unison. Luke licked his lips in anticipation as he guided his fighter out of the _Executor_ and into space. He stayed in formation, but wanted nothing more than to break off and test out the limits of this ship.

" _Fighters coming in at 63 degrees north,_ " announced an unfamiliar voice.

Luke looked up from his control panel to see a swarm of hostile TIEs flying toward them. The mottled assortment of pink, red, and green fighters were soon to be lost in a sea of black and grey.

" _There's so many of them,_ " an anxious voice said.

"Help is on the way _,_ " Luke tried to assure them. "We just need to hold them off until then _._ "

No response came, and Luke could sense the fear radiating from the rest of the pilots of Sigma Squadron. Such vulnerability was not conducive to victory. Gideon's forces grew larger in his window and suddenly he was hearing his father's instruction in his headset.

" _Break formation now!_ "

Luke swerved to the left as a dozen or so TIEs went screeching past them. He followed the distinctive shape of his father's modified fighter which was painted a vibrant green. Pulling up on the throttle, Luke pressed down on the trigger and opened fire with his laser cannons. The first kill of the day exploded when the bolts hit dead center.

" _Nice shot, Sigma 12!_ "

Feeling bold, Luke swerved and spiraled – using the Force to guide his motions as he cut through the enemy wave like a vibroblade through butter. He had a half dozen kills to his belt when a warning rang in his ear.

" _Incoming fire from those Star Destroyers!_ "

Seemingly out of nowhere, three massive capital ships emerged at the periphery of his vision. In unison, they unloaded a salvo from their massive batteries. They seemed unconcerned with taking out their own forces, as they fired blindly into the fray.

" _We've got to get out of range of those guns!_ "

" _There's no point,_ " came Anakin's voice. " _They've got us surrounded. We've got to get closer, not farther away._ "

Anakin steered his TIE in the direction of the Star Destroyers, and the rest of Sigma Squadron followed in pursuit.

" _Emerald Squadron, cover our flanks!_ "

" _Copy that, Sigma Leader._ "

A shudder ran through his ship when a bolt grazed the starboard section, but the shields held and Luke didn't spare it a second thought.

" _Sigma 4, look out!_ "

A burst from an ion canon took out the TIE to his left, and Luke quickly broke formation to avoid being hit by debris.

" _Sigma 4 is down!_ "

" _Stay in formation! Sigma 12, charge up those proton torpedoes. We'll target the rear of this Star Destroyer._ "

"Copy that, Sigma Leader."

He flicked a switch on the dash and saw a bar begin to fill up as the proton torpedoes came on line. His ship was the only fighter with this armament – the other Phantoms of Sigma Squadron not being equipped with the same heavy machinery as his Defender – so he knew he had to make his shot count.

" _Sigma 2 and 6, follow Sigma 12. Sigma 5 and 11, follow me._ "

They broke off in pairs of three as they looped around the nose of the Star Destroyer. The rest of Sigma Squadron approached head on and strafed the capital ship's bridge. Flak guns on the Star Destroyer's surface opened fire, but the incoming TIEs were too nimble to be shot down.

" _Sigma 12, get ready to take the shot._ "

Luke stuck out his tongue as he leaned down on the throttle. Barreling past the flank of the Star Destroyer, he yanked on the control stick and his vessel swung around. Seeing the three burning engines, Luke set his scopes on the center target.

"Gotcha."

Disregarding his targeting computer, Luke unloaded the proton torpedoes and guided them to the engine with the Force. They sailed true and a massive explosion rocked the Star Destroyer's aft side.

" _Nicely done, Sigma 12!_ "

"Thanks, D –" Luke stopped himself just in time. "Thanks, Sigma Leader," he corrected.

" _We've got company!_ "

Without wasting any more time to admire his handiwork, Luke took off in the opposite direction to rendezvous with the rest of Sigma Squadron.

" _We've got to find the command ship before they tear us to shreds._ "

" _I hear you, Sigma 8, but how do we know which one is the Moff's?_ "

" _I'm working on that,_ " his father said.

Sigma Squadron coalesced into a triangular formation as they whizzed past the incapacitated Star Destroyer. Having gained the attention of the other two behemoths, the Star Destroyers retrained their guns on them.

" _Sigma 9 is hit!_ "

Luke looked out his starboard side to see a Phantom spiraling downward, a cloud of smoke billowing out of its wing.

" _Sigma Leader! Super Star Destroyer incoming!_ "

Emerging from hyperspace directly in front of them was a truly gargantuan ship. He gasped in awe, his grip on the throttle tightening as he took in the ship's enormity.

" _That's got to be the one._ "

" _You got that right, Sigma 3._ "

" _Sigma Squadron, this is_ Executor. _Do you have sights on that Super Star Destroyer?_ "

" _Affirmative,_ Executor. _Is that what I think it is?_ "

" _It's the_ Eclipse, _sir._ "

" _How fitting._ "

He heard his father let out a sardonic snort.

" _Sigma 12, follow my lead. Sigma Squadron, cover us._ "

" _Copy that, Sigma Leader._ "

"Copy," Luke said as well.

He split off from formation and he and his father took off in tandem. It must have been an imposing sight for the bridge of the _Eclipse._ Ten TIEs – led by an elite Defender and Darth Vader's personal fighter – plunged toward the Super Star Destroyer. Shock and awe didn't hold them over for long, however. The _Eclipse's_ main battery opened fire, accompanied by a dozen or so other secondary armaments.

" _A little help here,_ Executor?"

" _We hear you, Sigma Leader._ "

In his rear window, Luke saw a bright green salvo flash from the _Executor's_ guns. The bolts fizzled out against the _Eclipse's_ powerful shields, but the message had been sent. Redirecting their attention from the rapidly approaching Sigma Squadron, the _Eclipse_ fired a return volley toward its sister ship.

Luke heard a maniacal cackle in his headset. " _This is quite the battle, boys!_ "

" _Keep focused, Sigma 11._ "

He couldn't help but agree with his squad mate, Sigma 11. The two largest starships ever constructed were dueling it out, blow for blow. If the fate of the galaxy didn't ride on the result of this battle, Luke would have been more appreciative of the spectacle. But right now he had a job to do.

" _We're going to come in hot on the port side hangar,_ " Anakin told him. " _We need to take out the shields first or else we're going to be smashed to bits. Got it?_ "

"Got it, Sigma Leader."

They screeched past the nose of the _Eclipse,_ flak from the surface guns sailing past them harmlessly. They flew down the side of the ship at maximum speed and the bright lights of the _Eclipse's_ port side blurred in his window. How were they even going to know where the hangar was?

" _Peel off now!_ "

Luke followed Anakin's instruction. Veering to the right, they put some distance between themselves and the _Eclipse_.

" _There's the hangar. See it?_ "

He did. A trapezoidal chasm in the ship's flank emitted a blue light which served as their beacon.

"Can we take out those shields?"

" _Only one way to find out._ "

Grinning to himself, Luke followed after his father as they raced toward the hangar. Once they were in range, they both opened fire with their laser cannons. The double-barreled anti-aircraft guns defending the hangar returned fire, and they registered a few hits to Luke's shields.

"Shields aren't giving!" Luke yelled. They were getting dangerously close now.

" _They will!_ "

Luke leaned down on his trigger, but the shields absorbed everything they shot at it.

"Father!"

" _Trust me!_ "

"We're going to crash!"

But they didn't. The shields flickered away just before they went barreling into them. Stunned, Luke barely reacted in time to swing his ship to a screeching stop. The wings scraped against the hangar floor and embers flew into the air. Before the ship collided into the back wall, Luke opened the hatch and leapt out with exceptional grace. Flipping in midair, he summoned his lightsaber and activated the blade before landing softly on his feet.

"Well done."

Luke looked to his left to see Anakin grinning at him. He returned the smile, but faltered when he realized their predicament.

"Drop your weapons!"

Two dozen or so stormtroopers were rushing toward them with blasters raised.

"Watch this," Anakin winked. Without so much as producing his lightsaber, he raised his gloved hand and sent the advancing formation flying away. They soared in the air for several meters before crashing to the ground.

"How did you do that?" Luke asked, absolutely stunned by this casual display of power.

"Maybe I'll show you sometime," Anakin said. "Right now, we need to go before they seal off the hangar."

His father took off running, and Luke was quick to pursue. As they passed the stormtroopers, Luke kicked one in the helmet when he tried to stagger to his feet. Reaching the broad double doors to the hangar, an alarm suddenly rang out.

_Enemy presence detected in hangar 12. Enemy presence detected in hangar 12. Enemy presence…_

The doors began to seal themselves shut, but Luke and Anakin slipped out into the hallway before they could.

"Come on," Anakin said. "This place is going to be crawling with stormtroopers soon."

They ran down the empty hallway stride for stride. Luke glanced at his father out of the corner of his eye. He was glistening with sweat and panting, whereas Luke was hardly breathing heavily.

"You okay?"

"Fine," he answered curtly.

They reached a stairwell and Anakin stopped to catch his breath. He bent over and clutched his knees as he gasped for air.

"We have to… get to the bridge. Gideon… will… he'll be there."

"Are you sure you can make it?"

Anakin stood up and wiped his brow. "I have to."

He began running up the stairs two steps at a time. Stowing away his apprehension, Luke followed after him. It was a good thing Anakin was familiar with the layout of this ship, because Luke would have no idea where to go without him.

"Here."

They arrived at the level in question, but when Anakin tried to open the door, it wouldn't budge.

"They know we're here," he growled. "Stand back."

Producing his lightsaber, Anakin activated the blue blade and thrust it into the durasteel door. Grimace painting his features, he strained to cut through the door. He finally completed the circle and the metal clanged to the ground.

"Onwards," he wheezed.

Ducking, Anakin stepped through the circular opening. Luke followed suit, and they emerged in another indistinguishable hallway.

"Where to now?"

Anakin swiveled his head, and for a moment Luke feared they were lost. He quickly recovered, however. "This way."

A frightened mouse droid scurried out of their way when they went sprinting past. Luke would have liked for that to be their only obstacle, but soon a contingent of stormtroopers emerged from a side corridor and blocked their path.

"Rebels! Blast them!"

Luke and Anakin produced their lightsabers and easily deflected the bolts back toward the stormtroopers. To his left, he heard his father chuckling.

"Rebels, huh?"

Luke grinned as the last of the stormtroopers was felled. "It's got a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"

Anakin shrugged. "I could get used to it."

They continued onward with their lightsabers at the ready. They made it another fifty or so meters before another klaxon blared and the blast doors began to seal shut.

"Hurry!" Anakin yelled.

They leapt through two sets of doors and the bridge was in sight. Anakin extended his hand and prevented the third door from closing with the Force.

"Go," he said through gritted teeth.

From the hallways on either side of them, Luke saw stormtroopers rushing forward. They opened fire, and Luke had to leap forward to protect his father.

"Luke! Go!"

"I'm not leaving without you!"

"I'll be fine!"

Luke elected to disregard this insistence, but Anakin slashed his free hand and he suddenly felt himself get lifted off his feet and propelled through the crack in the doors. He landed hard on his rear and slid for a few feet before coming to a stop. Looking up, he saw the blast doors close as Anakin began fending off the stormtroopers.

"No!"

He jumped to his feet, but there was nothing he could do. The sounds of his father's lightsaber and of the hailstorm of blaster fire were absorbed by the blast doors, and Luke had no sense of what was happening.

_The bridge! Get to the bridge!_

Luke shook his head and turned around. He was close, but between him and the bridge was another contingent of stormtroopers. Luke bared his teeth and bent his knees. This was the last line of defense for Gideon. They were no match for him.

When they were about two dozen meters away, Luke took off running. They opened fire, but Luke deflected the bolts without difficulty. Blood pounded in his ears as he slashed his blade with fluid grace and brutal force – slicing through limbs and blasters alike. He was ruthless, determined, and above all, powerful.

The last stormtrooper dropped to the ground, a blaster bolt deflected directly into their visor. Breathing heavily, Luke took a moment to steel himself as he appreciated the carnage he had sown. The adrenaline waned and Luke suddenly faltered. Had he done this? Surely this wasn't the Jedi way.

He was shaken from his rumination when he heard a metallic screech behind him. Turing around, he saw the tip of a lightsaber protruding from the blast doors. His previous anxiety was gone in a flash as relief washed over him.

The door gave way and out stepped Anakin Skywalker. Luke's face fell when he saw that he was grimacing mightily, a blaster wound singed to his left shoulder. He rushed forward to assist, but Anakin waved him off.

"I'm fine," he claimed. "I can't believe I let them hit me." He looked around to see the dozen or so stormtroopers strewn on the ground by their feet. "Wow," he said, blinking in astonishment.

"Let's go," Luke said with a gesture toward the bridge. "We're almost there."

Father and son proceeded onward, the latter's movements labored and his expression pained. It was clearly too soon after his procedure to be exerting himself so strenuously.

When they arrived on the bridge, Anakin quickly wiped the weakness from his face and assumed a determined scowl. The officers had heard them coming, and they were all pointing carbines at them. Luke raised his lightsaber defensively, but Anakin ignored them all. He took a few steps forward, his eyes trained on the one gentleman who's caped back was facing them.

"It's over, Gideon. Surrender now, and no one else has to get hurt."

Luke knew at once that this ultimatum would mean little to the Moff. Gideon guffawed as he continued to stare out the window.

"You are hopelessly outnumbered, Skywalker."

Anakin flinched. He clearly hadn't anticipated on Gideon knowing his name. The Moff turned around slowly, a smug look upon his waxy face. He had dark, pockmarked skin and a pencil moustache. His grey hair was slicked back, pressed flat against his skull by a copious amount of greasy gel.

"You think that just because you stormed my ship, you won this battle? My forces exceed yours by fivefold! Surely you aren't this naïve."

The Moff had a clear, orotund voice which had Luke second-guessing himself. Anakin was far less dissuaded by his confidence, however.

"This is your last chance, Gideon."

The Moff shook his head as if he was disappointed. "Tarkin told me about you. He knew you were a liability. He knew you still sympathized with the Jedi. But the Emperor seemed to trust you. He was foolish to do so."

Anakin activated his lightsaber and pointed it at Gideon. "I killed the Emperor. Don't make me kill you too."

Gideon sneered at him before audaciously turning his back on the humming blade. "Take a look," he said as he took a few light steps toward the curved window in front of him. "Your fleet will not hold out for much longer."

Luke came to his father's side to watch as a renewed wave of TIE fighters passed their view and entered the fray. The cheerily painted fighters of Piett's humble task force were fading in the face of vastly superior numbers. There was a bright yellow flash, and Luke looked away from the dogfight to see an Imperial cruiser begin to keel after a bombing run littered its surface with craters. He watched in horror as the starship plunged down to the surface of Coruscant below.

Gideon made a tutting sound with his tongue. "How unfortunate," he drawled. "How many civilians will die? Tens of thousands, perhaps?"

"You're a monster," Luke spat.

Through his distorted reflection in the window, Luke saw the Moff's expression harden. "I am doing what must be done to preserve the Empire. Amedda told me what you intend to do, Skywalker. You wish to restore the Republic? A fool's errand. Don't you remember the chaos? The corruption? The avarice? The Empire must not fall!"

"It already has," Anakin said. "You are no Palpatine."

"I don't have to be."

Gideon flourished his cape for dramatic effect as he spun back around.

"I will preserve order whereas you intend to throw us into anarchy!"

Anakin shook his head and extended the lightsaber to Gideon's chin. "I'm done with this conversation. Surrender or suffer the consequences."

Gideon scoffed. "Have you not been listening to me? Your plight is futile! Your petty fleet is defeated!"

"Oh, I don't think so."

Before Gideon could retort, an officer cried out to gain his attention. "Moff Gideon! Enemy ships are emerging from hyperspace!"

Gideon's eyes snapped to the officer. "Enemy ships? What ships?"

"It's the Rebels!"

Gideon's face drained of color as Anakin gave him a triumphant look.

"Seems like we're not so outnumbered after all."

"You traitor," the Moff snarled.

Anakin ignored this. "Surrender," he demanded for a third time.

A tremor ran through the bridge and Luke staggered backward. Looking up, he saw a half dozen X-wings soaring past their field of view as they completed a strafing run.

"Enemy fighters!"

"How many?" Gideon asked, ignoring the lightsaber to his face.

"Too many!"

The lights flickered when another hit rocked the bridge.

"Our rear is under bombardment from Rebel cruisers!"

"Redirect auxiliary power to the shield generator!"

A siren sounded somewhere to his left.

"A direct hit to the thrusters! We've lost steering capability!"

"Moff Gideon! What are your orders?"

The bridge fell silent save for the warbling of the alarm system. Gideon and Anakin stared at one another as the lights continued to flicker in and out. Finally, the Moff fell to his knees.

"Good choice," Anakin said. He sheathed his blade and returned the hilt to his belt, but as he did this, Gideon reached into his cloak.

"Father!"

Gideon produced a humming vibroblade and slashed at Anakin's abdomen. The blade tore through his tunic and Gideon leapt back to his feet.

"Blast them!" he yelled.

The bridge exploded with blaster fire. Caught off balance, Luke only just managed to activate his lightsaber in time to deflect the bolts. But they were coming from all directions, and he was unable to keep up. He felt a sharp pain in his shoulder when a bolt grazed his flesh.

"Luke!"

Anakin was on his back, lightsaber kicked out of hand by Gideon's boot. The Moff attempted to stab him again with the vibroblade, but Anakin pushed him away with the Force.

Incensed, Luke propelled himself through the air to his father's defense. Having just gotten back to his feet, Gideon staggered away in fear as Luke barreled toward him. A second bold struck him in the thigh, but he paid it no heed. Swinging his lightsaber at the defenseless Moff, his red blade sliced right through his right wrist. The felled hand hit the ground with a grotesque thud and Gideon dropped to his knees beside it. Luke's eyes flashed as he pointed the blade to the man's throat.

"Drop your weapons!" he roared to the officer's surrounding him. "Drop them or he dies!"

The blaster fire came to an abrupt end and Luke felt a dozen set of eyes on him and Gideon.

"Luke."

It was his father's voice. Luke spared a glance over his shoulder to see he had gotten to his feet and was clutching his blood-stained abdomen. A surge of fury pulsed through him at the sight.

"You snake," he growled to Gideon.

The Moff challenged him with a bitter look, contempt carved across his gaunt features. "Go ahead," he said. "Kill me."

"I will," Luke found himself saying.

"Luke, no!"

He maintained eye contact with Gideon. "He's too dangerous to be kept alive."

"Don't do it, Luke. Don't kill him."

"I have to!"

"It's not the Jedi way."

Luke hesitated, his hand trembling as he inched the blade closer to Gideon's jugular. One little thrust, and he could kill him.

"Luke. Don't."

He felt a hand on his shoulder. Looking up, he met his father's eyes.

"This isn't you."

Luke bowed his head. His father was right. He wasn't a cold-blooded murderer. Lowering his lightsaber, Luke deactivated the red blade with a sigh.

"Give the order, Gideon," he heard Anakin say, his voice faint. "Surrender and end the bloodshed."

The pounding of footsteps caused them to look away down the length of the bridge. Emerging from the doorway was Ahsoka, her white lightsabers active in her hands. Following close behind was Sabine in her vibrant Mandalorian armor. When they saw him and Anakin standing over Gideon's prone form, the two women came to an abrupt halt.

"Am I too late?" Ahsoka asked, disappointment evident in her voice.

Anakin's reaction was half way between a smile and a grimace. "Sorry, Snips."

With that, his eyes rolled back and he collapsed to the deck, unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I've never written a full-on battle scene like this before, and I put it off for a long time because I was afraid it wouldn't turn out well. But now that it's done, I actually think it's quite good, especially for a first attempt. Obviously space battles and the sort aren't the focal point of this story, so I apologize if this chapter wasn't what you were expecting. It was necessary for the conclusion of the arc with Gideon, but I will concede that it disrupts the flow a bit. Let me know what you think!
> 
> Thank you all for reading up to this point. Next chapter will be the final installment!


	32. United

Leia and Padmé watched the battle unfold from the _Executor's_ bridge with burgeoning anxiety. While they couldn't see their individual fighters, they listened to Sigma Squadron's radio broadcast for a clue on Luke and Anakin's status.

" _They're aboard the_ Eclipse," a tinny voice announced.

"Redirect forward firepower away from that Super Star Destroyer!" Piett ordered. "We've got men aboard that ship!"

Despite their restraint, the _Eclipse_ continued to unload their batteries at them. The cumbersome _Executor_ couldn't do much to evade the barrage, so blast after blast rocked the shields. Leia and Padmé held onto each other, pleading for the shields to hold and for Luke and Anakin to be safe.

Finally after fifteen minutes the onslaught came to an abrupt end and a transmission crackled on the bridge with a terrifying message. "Executor, _this is Fulcrum. We require immediate medical attention for General Skywalker._ "

The battle had been won, but at what cost? Admiral Piett led the way to the nearest hangar while Leia did what she could to keep Padmé from panicking. She wasn't doing a very good job, however.

"He's dying! Leia, he's dying!" she repeated over and over.

"He's not dying," Leia insisted. "He'll be fine. Ahsoka's with him."

She spoke with assurance, but a gnawing sense of dread had her stomach in knots. She knew her father was alive for now – she could sense his presence still – but other than that, she really had no idea. Ahsoka had sounded especially grim over the transmission.

They arrived in the hangar bay to see a mottled ship with a unique trapezoidal shape touching down. Leia recognized the vessel, although she hadn't seen it for many years. This was the _Ghost._

"Look out. There's a ramp."

A long shadow proceeded the arrival of Luke. He had his arm wrapped around the back of a shorter woman in pink Mandalorian armor, a grimace stretched across his taut face as he labored down the ramp with her assistance. A crimson stain seeped through the gauze bandage wrapped around his left thigh.

Leia rushed forward to the base of the ramp. "Luke!" she called out.

He looked up to see her. "Hey, Leia," he said with a strained smile.

"You're hurt?"

"Nah, I'm fine." He stepped off the ramp, the accompanying wince of pain doing little to corroborate this assurance. "Just a bit nicked up."

Padmé was suddenly at her side, her voice shrill in her ear. "Where's Anakin?"

Luke hesitated. "He's…"

They all looked up when they heard heavy footsteps at the top of the ramp. Emerging from the hull of the _Ghost_ was an incredible sight. Knees buckling and arms trembling, Ahsoka carried an unconscious Anakin in her arms. Leia let out an involuntary gasp. Her father's head lolled backward and his tunic was painted red with blood.

"Anakin!" Padmé exclaimed.

"I need some help here," Ahsoka struggled to say.

From behind her, Leia heard Piett bark out an order. "Gurney! Now!"

Leia helped Luke limp out of the way as a team of medics rushed forward at the admiral's command. A repulsorlift stretcher presented itself before Ahsoka at the bottom of the ramp and she set Anakin down with a grunt.

"He hit his head pretty bad," Ahsoka panted to the medics.

"We see that," one of them said with a curt nod.

"He's going to be okay?" Padmé asked. "Tell me he's going to be okay!"

The medics ignored this question. Tearing through his tunic with a surgical knife, they began padding the jagged wound to his abdomen.

"AZI-6, check his vitals."

A stout medical droid floated above the gurney and performed a pass over Anakin's body, a flickering red beam scanning him from head to toe.

"O2 stats are within normal range," the droid announced. "Heart rate is low."

A medic placed a finger on Anakin's neck. "Pulse is faint."

"What does that mean?" Padmé asked.

"We've got to get him to the ICU, stat."

"Is he going to be okay?"

The medics continued to ignore her as they pushed the gurney away. Frantic, Padmé spun to her and Luke with shining eyes.

"He'll be fine," Luke told her.

"He's been through much worse," Leia contributed, her voice sounding a bit hollow.

Padmé bit down on her tongue and looked Luke over. "You're okay?"

"Yeah," he said.

"Took a blaster bolt to the thigh and shoulder," the Mandalorian contributed. "You should get that checked on."

"Come on," Leia said. "Let's get you to the medbay."

Padmé was well ahead of them. She took off running after her husband, a trail of fear behind her radiating powerfully through the Force. She and Luke both sensed it, and the twins traded nervous looks.

"He'll live," Luke said.

"He has to," Leia added.

* * *

Leia had found herself in this situation far too many times – pacing back and forth while she awaited an update from the doctors. She, Padmé, Ahsoka, and the Mandalorian woman whom she now recognized as Sabine Wren were in the hallway of the _Executor's_ medbay. Droids and medics alike whisked up and down the corridor, sparing them no mind as they went about their tasks. There were a great many patients to tend to in the wake of such a disastrous battle.

Padmé listened with rapt attention to Ahsoka as she recounted the events as she understood them. Leia was far less attentive, barely acknowledging the jumbled words as they washed over her.

"Gideon refused to surrender… He had a vibroblade… Slashed him in the abdomen."

She could feel her father's presence through the Force. How or when she had become so attuned to it, Leia did not know, but she could now identify it without hardly having to concentrate. It was always so near, like a part of her, in a way. But now it was faint, fluttering. She closed her eyes and reached out, attempting to nurture him back to health despite not knowing how.

"Leia?"

It was her mother's voice. She turned to it sluggishly.

"Look who's here."

Padmé gestured with her head and Leia followed it. Escorted by a black-uniformed officer on either flank, a familiar face surged through the parting crowd.

"Doctor!" Leia exclaimed.

Vezara looked grim. She came to a halt and waved off her escorts. "Ms. Vader," she said with a slight bow of her head.

"How did you –"

"Admiral Piett summoned me," Vezara informed her curtly. "Where is my patient?"

Leia directed the expeditious doctor to the operating room across the hall and Vezara took off without another word.

"Who was that?" Ahsoka asked.

"Anakin's doctor," Padmé answered. "She fitted him with the new prosthetics."

Assured that Vezara would do everything in her power to help her father, Leia released a breath and turned to the three women. Her mother was seated on a bench with her knees clasped together and her hands pressed to her temples. To her right, Ahsoka and Sabine leaned against an air vent. Whereas the Jedi was chewing her lower lip anxiously, the suave Mandalorian was clearly bored with the wait. With one leg elevated and her foot planted against the grated wall behind her, Sabine sighed loudly as she twirled a strand of purple hair around her finger. Leia's face twitched at the sight, a spark of anger flaring up within her.

"You know, you don't have to wait here," she snapped. "Just go if you don't want to stay."

Sabine raised her eyebrows, startled by the sudden outburst. "Leia –" Ahsoka tried to say, but she cut her off.

"I'm serious. Why are you even here?"

Eyes narrowed, Sabine pushed herself off the wall. "You want me gone?"

"Yeah, I do!"

Ahsoka attempted to intervene, but Sabine was already storming away down the hallway. "Sabine! Come back!" She let out a low sound of frustration and spun back to Leia. "What was that about?"

Leia didn't know how to explain herself, so she was grateful when Padmé rose to her feet to defend her. "Let her be, Ahsoka."

"That was out of line," Ahsoka said. "You can't just lash out like that." She pointed a finger at her, but Leia slapped it away, eliciting a gasp of indignation. "Hey!"

"You two, stop it!"

Leia and Ahsoka both turned to Padmé authoritative voice. She had a stern expression, her jaw set and her eyes flinty.

"We're all on edge. We're all scared. But we can't take it out on each other. Bickering won't do us any good."

Leia quickly bowed her head with shame. "Sorry," she muttered.

"I know how much Anakin means to both of you. There's no need to try to prove it to each other."

Sobered, Ahsoka tilted her head and gave Padmé a probing look. "You've changed," she observed.

Padmé shook her head before sitting back down. "I'm not changed. I'm restored." Eyes pointed blankly at the floor in front of her, Padmé leaned forward with a sigh. Ahsoka stared at her for a long while before taking a step forward and placing a hand on her shoulder.

"I'm glad you're back."

Padmé looked up to meet her eyes. Without a word, she nodded and rested her hand atop Ahsoka's.

The minutes stretched on into hours, and Leia was convinced she had traversed miles in her pacing. The occasional visitor interrupted the monotony. Admiral Piett arrived to offer his support and condolences, but he had to leave quite quickly to attend to other matters. Rex and Cara Dune showed up soon thereafter. The clone talked in hushed tones with Ahsoka while her Alderaanian compatriot attempted to cheer Leia up.

"Gideon's been taken to Coruscant," she told her. "Seems like your brother did a number on him."

That earned Leia's attention. "What do you mean?"

"You didn't hear? Gideon lost his hand."

Leia gulped at this information. Luke hadn't told her about that.

"He deserved it. Anyone who supports the Empire after what they did…"

Cara trailed off, but Leia didn't need her to elaborate. They both knew what she was referencing.

The door to the operating room slid open and Leia straightened her back in anticipation. There had been several false alarms over the past hour when a droid or medic emerged from the room without any new information to share, but this time it was Vezara herself stepping out into the hallway.

"Doctor!"

Vezara made her way toward them. Behind her, she heard Padmé getting to her feet with Ahsoka's assistance.

"How is he?"

Vezara waited until everyone had gathered round to answer. "As of right now, I can cautiously say that he is going to be alright."

Padmé let out a gasp in relief, but Leia wasn't yet ready to celebrate. "Why cautiously?" she asked.

"In the medical profession, it is always prudent to err on the side of caution," Vezara said smartly. "In your father's case, he endured a severe physical trauma mere days after undergoing a serious procedure. Determining anything with complete certainty would be a foolish endeavor."

"But he's going to be okay, isn't he?"

Vezara made an exasperated sound. "He is stable."

"That's good, isn't it?"

"I would like to have him transferred to the medical facility on Coruscant. There I will be better able to assess any internal damage he may have sustained."

Leia nodded and shared a look with Padmé. "Can we see him?" her mother asked.

Vezara eyed Padmé with undisguised suspicion. "Don't think I forgot what happened last time I allowed you access to my patient."

Leia held up a hand to prevent her mother from hurling a retort. "That won't happen again," she insisted to the doctor. "Please?"

Vezara met her gaze. "Are you sure?"

"I am."

"Very well then." The doctor spun on her heel and marched back toward the operating room. Padmé and Ahsoka made to follow, but Leia blocked their path.

"Maybe it's best if it's just the two of us," she said cautiously, bobbing her head to Padmé.

A flash of resentment passed Ahsoka's face. "Is that so?"

"It's just… I don't want to overwhelm him."

"Leia's right," Padmé contributed.

Ahsoka bent to her will. "Very well," she said, stiff in tone and even more rigid in posture. "I'll wait here."

Padmé spared Ahsoka an apologetic look before placing her hand on Leia's shoulder and steering her away toward the operating room. Vezara was waiting for them at the entrance. Seeing that they were following, she opened the door and stepped inside. Emerging on the other side, they found themselves in a compact airlock.

"I'm sure you know the drill," Vezara said.

Jets of pressurized air struck them from multiple directions, causing Leia's hair to billow up into her face. She had only just brushed the errant strands aside when a mechanical hiss signified the opening of the opposite door leading to the operating room.

"Excuse me, who are you?"

Leia sidestepped the doctor to see Luke seated on a chair by his father's bedside. He had been stripped of his flight suit and fitted in an unflattering medical gown. Beneath the flowing fabric, she could see bulky bandages affixed to his shoulder and thigh where he had been blasted.

"It's alright, doctor," Leia said on her brother's behalf. "He's family."

"I see," Vezara said, eyes narrowed.

Choosing to disregard the edge to the doctor's voice, Leia stepped forward into the austere room. It was sterile, bright, and frigidly cold. In typical Imperial fashion, grey medical equipment and black walls drained the room of color. A rectangular view port granted them an uninspired view of space. A Star Destroyer in the distance drifted past, but other than that, there was nothing to see. Nor was there anything to hear save for the rhythmic beep of a heart rate monitor, the high-pitched sound setting Leia's teeth on edge.

"Can you wake him?" Padmé asked.

"It would be best for him to remain anesthetized until he arrives on Coruscant," Vezara replied.

Leia walked over toward Luke who gave her a nod. "How are you?" she asked.

"Fine," he said absently.

His gaze returned to his father on the bed, and Leia followed suit. The medics had removed his tunic and robes to reveal his emaciated torso. A tightly bound bandage wrapped around his abdomen, squeezing on his prominently protruding ribcage.

"He looks horrible," Luke said.

"He's severely underweight," came Vezara's voice from behind them. "I advised him to stay in the hospital to undergo a nutrient replenishment regimen, but he refused at the time. Now I'm going to have to insist."

"Of course," Padmé said. "We want him healthy."

"Do you now?"

"I care for my husband's wellbeing, doctor."

The twins ignored this testy exchange as they continued to stare at their father. Luke scratched the bridge of his nose with the hand on his uninjured side.

"How could someone so frail be so powerful?" he asked.

"No, Luke." The both of them looked up to see their mother approach the opposite side of the bed. "You have it exactly backwards." She placed a hand on her husband's chest and leaned down to kiss his forehead. "But not anymore," she said in a whisper. "Together we can make him strong."

Finally, the Skywalkers were united. Finally, they were a family.

_The End_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you all for reading and for your many kind reviews. As of such, _Hunter_ is now complete, although I may write an epilogue at some point in the future. Before posting this final chapter, I went back to read some of the earlier chapters, and wow this story really evolved a lot in a relatively short window! My writing could be neatened up for sure as well, but if you made it this far that clearly isn't something that bothered you.
> 
> Having now completed several stories, I have come to learn that each story has its own message, not only for the readers but for the author as well. _Hunter_ is a story of division and polarization, yet it is also one of reconciliation, forgiveness, and love. While I typically eschew commentary on contemporary events while writing my stories (fanfic is supposed to be a form of escapist entertainment, after all) it is impossible to ignore how relevant this story is to the chaotic world in which we are currently embroiled. Perhaps the evolution of this story was a subconscious reflection of my own circumstances, where Luke and Padmé were trapped in a quarantine of sorts by the big bad Darth Covid.
> 
> But back to the subject at hand. I was surprised to see how many of my readers took such strong positions in support of one camp over the other. When I was writing the story, I had no particular bias, or so I thought. I figured my readers would adopt a similar mindset, seeing the flaws as well as the positive attributes of both Padmé and Vader. Yet instead I discovered what I now suspect to be a deeply human tendency: the proclivity to polarization. As an American, I see this phenomenon growing more and more intractable – starting with politics yet now permeating nearly every aspect of our fragmented society. It has reached the point that the issue of wearing masks has somehow become a contentious issue.
> 
> What I hope you can take away from this story is that reconciliation is not impossible, even amidst bitter and acrimonious circumstances. Padmé told herself that Vader could never be forgiven, and to an extent she was right about that. Vader told himself that he could never become Anakin again, and he was right about that as well. But in spite of that, both found a way to forgive each other and themselves. It was because of their children that they strived to seek reconciliation. They saw how much their children idolized them and they saw how their intransigence could negatively affect them. Both Luke and Leia turned to the dark side briefly for the sake of their parents. The reminder that their actions and inactions could have such devastating repercussions on their children inspired them to better themselves, and in the process, they learned to love each other again. Because of that, the Skywalkers were finally united as the family they were meant to be. Perhaps we can all take solace in that.


End file.
